Running Away from Gallifrey (A Classic Who Fanfiction)
by Time Lady Fighter
Summary: A story following the Classic Doctor Who episodes with Doctors 4-8. The Doctor's childhood friend, The Fighter runs away with him to explore the universe while they run into trouble, save planets, are reunited with old friends, The Fighter is reunited with her sister Romana, They meet their past incarnations, make new friends, and fight in The Last Great Time War.
1. Chapter 1: The Deadly Assassin

Hello my dear readers Old and new.

This story is a Prequel to my story "The Time Lady and her Boys" from my The Time Lady and her Boys Series. (pretty simple.)

This story will follow the episodes of Classic Who with Doctors 4-8 along with The Master's incarnation's and my Time Lady OC The Fighter's incarnation's as well. There will be some mention to their childhood together back on Gallifrey so that part won't be left out. The paring will be mostly Doctor/Time Lady OC/Master with some Romana/OC moments.

This chapter will start with the episode "The Deadly Assassin." I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think of my new idea of writing this story. Thank you.

* * *

**Running Away from Gallifrey**

**Doctor Who Fanfiction**

**Paring: Fourth Doctor and Second Fighter (With Some Decaying Master)**

**Chapter 1: The Deadly Assassin**

**Summary: The 4th Doctor has a precognitive vision of danger on Gallifrey involving the President of Time Lords being murdered along with one of his childhood friends, The Fighter being in grave danger. Along the way he runs into his other childhood friend, The Master who is dying. How will this reunion go between the friends?**

* * *

_Through the Millennia,_

_the Time Lords of Gallifrey _

_led a life of peace and ordered calm,_

_protected against all threats from lesser civilizations by their great power._

_But this was to change. Suddenly and terribly, the Time Lords face the most dangerous crisis in their long history..._

The Doctor was in his TARDIS setting the coordinates after receiving a summons from his people when suddenly, he is struck by a premonition. Time Lords in orange, red and yellow robes are reaching out at him. Then he sees the Lord President in his white and gold regalia.

A gun overlooking the Panopticon is pointing out towards the President of Time Lords ready to shoot him down.

"No!" The Doctor yells out as he sees that the assassin is him pointing the gun towards the president as he fires it, knocking the president down.

The Doctor looks around frantic in his TARDIS shaking his head as he stumbles over to the wall falling down to the ground in horror as another premonition comes to him. He was walking into his childhood friends old house, The House of Heartshaven.

The house looked abandoned and empty as he kept walking and found a woman with brown hair reaching her waist and brown eyes covered in bruises and cuts crying on the ground. The woman had a familiar air to him.

"No it can't be!" He said to himself as the vision continued.

The woman looked up and asked him "Theta?" It was his childhood name he went by back in the academy. It was, it had to be...her.

The vision stopped as he blinked his eyes open looking around his TARDIS breathing heavily against the wall. He got up off the ground setting the coordinates for the House of Heartshaven as the TARDIS began to land.

He stepped outside of the TARDIS looking at the house. He had to make sure, he just had to make sure it wasn't her. He walked up to the familiar door from his childhood as he knocked on it. It was a long time ago now when he first left Gallifrey and came knocking at this door asking her if she wanted to run away like she always dreamed to. He wanted to make her dream come true that day but she denied saying she was over it and happy with her husband. But he could tell it was all a lie in her eyes.

He kept insisting but she kept denying. He decided to believe her and left the planet with Susan his granddaughter. Part of him cursed himself for leaving her with her husband of all people but he let her do her own thing. He should have just taken her with him but he didn't. He had always been nervous to reveal his true feelings to her.

The Doctor was snapped out of his thoughts as he knocked on the door again harder this time as it suddenly opened on it's own. Curious, he walked in to see it abandoned just like in his vision.

Worry began to run through him as he walked through the empty hallway and turned into a room seeing a woman crying on her bed. It was the same woman he saw in his vision, his childhood friend he held feelings for, The Fighter. She was laying on the bed with her robes in a mess as she cried. She was covered in bruises and cuts that refused to heal for some odd reason but it wasn't too bad to make her regenerate.

The Doctor hurried into the room towards her as she heard him and jumped up falling to the ground. She was looking at him scared like he was going to attack her. He stopped and began to calm her down as he called her by her childhood name she went by in the academy.

"Missy, it's ok. It's me, Theta, The Doctor. I have returned." He began to move slowly towards her as she remained still staring at him.

"Theta?" She asked him just like in his vision.

He continued talking "I had a vision that you were in trouble and clearly you look like you are." He continued moving towards her slowly noticing how different she was from the last time he saw her. She use to have blonde hair and brown eyes, she was always so cheerful but now she was hardly smiling and seemed timid to do anything. Afraid that if she did something wrong, she would be in trouble. This wasn't the girl he remembered her to be.

She began to wipe her tears away and tried to stand up to get away from him as she fell to the floor with The Doctor catching her in his arms. He picked her up and took her over to her bed to examine her injuries.

As he examined them anger began to fill him deep inside. How dare her husband, The Joker do this to her. How dare he treat her this way. He began to move his hand towards her cheek to wipe away her tears as she suddenly flinched back closing her eyes as if she was expecting to be struck by him.

He stopped noticing and pulled his hand back as she slowly opened her eyes. He looked into her brown eyes "I would never hurt you, I am not like him. You've known me since we were little, you know what kind of person I am."

She remained quiet looking at him as he sighed. The Joker had obviously done a lot of damage to her, he was one known for "Joking around" as he would say. This wasn't a funny joke at all, this was down right cruel.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he looked around wondering where The Joker was. He turned back trying to get a reply out of her "Why are you here all alone? Why does the house looked abandoned and such a mess?" She didn't reply as he began to notice her closing her eyes.

"No, no!" He shouted as he put his head to her chest listening for her hearts beating as they were beating slow for a Time Lord. No he had just found her and couldn't lose her again. He quickly picked her up and carried her out of the house and into the TARDIS.

He put her in the medical ward and set her on the table. Looking through his medicine for something that would help her out with healing since her regeneration energy was working slower then normal. He found the medicine and opened it as he put the bottle to her mouth. The liquid began to go down until the bottle was empty.

He took the bottle away as she suddenly jolted up coughing. He quickly laid her back down as she looked around the room her mind trying to process everything. He got his stethoscope as he put it to her chest listening to her hearts as they sounded normal like they should be.

She jolted up looking at The Doctor as he spoke "It's okay. You're safe with me, just the two of us." He then grabbed a bag of candies from his pocket as he grinned "Care for a Jelly Baby?"

She looked at him confused with her eyebrow raised in wonder over what in Gallifrey was a "Jelly Baby." She studied the way her friend looked now from the last time she saw him. This time he had curly brown hair, blue eyes, a silly multi-color rainbow scarf that reached the floor as it was a surprise he was still alive having not tripped over the thing and was eating a candy he called a Jelly Baby.

He noticed the way she was looking at him as he smiled eating a Jelly Baby. A smile came to her face as she began to laugh, something she had not done in a long time since they were back in the academy. It was a bit painful to laugh as her body was still healing but she couldn't help it. He always seemed to bring a smile to her face no matter what.

He smiled at her happy to hear the sound of laughter he missed. He could tell she was starting to feel a little better as he began to question her hoping to get answers "What happened Fighter? Why does your house look abandoned?" He looked at her bruises and cuts that were healing slowly "What did he do to you?"

The Fighter suddenly stopped laughing as she looked down. She began to speak as her voice filled with fear "He left me Doctor. He...He would punch me if I didn't obey him like a good wife should." her body began to shake remembering the times The Joker would beat her "He would say he was just joking around and didn't mean it. He would tell me he loved me and was just trying to protect me...but if I didn't listen to him he would..." Tears began to fall from her eyes. "Please take me away from here Theta!"

The Doctor felt his hearts break over the sight of her crying and shaking like that. The Joker had broken her to the point that her body refused to heal like it normally should. He should have taken her away with him.

She suddenly jumped off the table running into his arms as she cried into his shoulder as he took her into his arms. He moved down to the floor as he let her get all her emotions out that had built up over the years. Two hearts held a heavy burden.

He held her in his arms as she suddenly fell asleep. Today was the day he was going to take her away but first he had to stop the President of the Time Lords from being murdered. He picked her up and carried her to the TARDIS console room as he put his scarf around her and laid her on the ground as she stirred. He began to set the coordinates for the TARDIS as it began to land on it's own.

He looks down at the scanner "Right outside the Capitol itself." He breathes in "I'm in trouble now."

He pushes the button to see what's outside on the scanner screen as guards appear "The Chancellery Guards" The Doctor scoffs "What a welcome home."

Commander Hilred walks through the door with Castellan Spandrell towards the TARDIS as he begins to speak "It looks...If I didn't know better, Castellan, I'd swear it was a Type 40."

"It is." The old Time Lord replied.

"But that's impossible. There are no Type 40s in service. They're out of commission, obsolete." Commander Hilred said confidently.

The Fighter began to stir again as she opened her eyes looking up at the scanner screen where The Doctor was. She jumped up walking towards him. "It's the Chancellery Guards!"

"Obsolete? Twaddle! Take no notice, my dear old thing" The Doctor said as he gently patted the TARDIS console not hearing her.

She walked over to him as he looked at her. "Oh you're awake. I've seemed to run into trouble but not to worry."

Castellan Spandrell continued to talk as they both looked at the screen. "Nevertheless Commander, this is a TARDIS. It's in an unauthorized zone, I want the occupants arrested."

The Fighter gave a worried look to The Doctor as he looked at her with his eyes wide.

"The Barrier of this model is a Double Curtain Trimonic, so you will need a cypher indent key to get in." Castellan Spandrell explained as he continued talking.

Commander Hilred smiled "Very good Castellan. I will send for one."

"After you have arrested the person ther, you will impound the machine."

"Of course Castellan. And will you want me to question..."

"Eventually! Yes, but not on a Presidential Resignation day Hilred."

The Doctor looked at The Fighter with wide eyes still as he realized his other vision was true. "Presidential Resignation day..."

The Fighter raised her eyebrow "Yes and what about it?"

He looked at her as he explained "You remember how I told youI had a vision about you in trouble." She gave a nod as he continued "I also had a vision about the president of Time Lords being murdered."

She gave a gasp as he turned to the screen noticing the guards getting their guns ready to invade the TARDIS.

"We must get past them and warn the president!" The Doctor said with his eyes wide as he was deep in thought. He looked to the goldish brown console as he pulled a drawer open pulling out a piece of paper and a pen and began writing.

The Fighter watched him curiously as he was writing a letter. She turns to look at the screen seeing the guards putting a key into the TARDIS trying to get in. "Doctor!" She turns back to see him coming out of a door quickly with a case full of items. The Doctor then turns down the lights and sets up a decoy to mislead the guards, using his coat and scarf on a chair with a hookah he picked up

He looks over at The Fighter as he watches the screen behind her "This way! Come! Quickly!" She follows him.

They hear footsteps entering the TARDIS as the Chancellery Guards make it in. "Don't move, I said don't move!" Commander Hilred commands it. He walks towards it with the rest of his guards as he picks up the letter The Doctor left by the dressed figure as he begins reading it.

Commander Hilred then turns to the door to see The Doctor holding The Fighter's hand while they run out it escaping. "There they go! Quick!" Commander Hilred and his guards start chasing after them down a teal looking door.

The Doctor and Fighter come to a stop as a door behind them opens from the lift with a Guard as The Fighter points "Doctor!" The Guard holds up a gun motioning for them to keep walking as they do but suddenly the Guard is struck by a gun as The Doctor catches him falling limp in his arms.

The Fighter turns to see a black phantom-like figure who fired the shot. "Doctor over there!"

The Doctor looks up at the figure "Hey! Just a minute! Excuse me!" The figure begins to disappear down the hall ignoring his calls.

The Doctor looks around frantically for other guards as he goes inside the lift and pushes the button to close it as he steps out in time before it does. He quickly grabs The Fighter's hand as they run hiding behind a pillar as they watch the guards examine the dead guards body.

"All guards report to main tower, sector 7. Dangerous intruder at large." Commander Hilred reports through his communicator on his wrist.

* * *

In the Archives section Coordinator Engin and Castellan Spanderell are reading The Doctor's files.

Egin begins reading "The Tribunal chose, in view of the extenuating circumstances, to impose a lenient sentence."

"What?" Castellan asks.

Egin continues "The Tribunal chose..."

"What sentence?" Castellan interrupts.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. Banishment to Earth."

"Earth?"

"Sol 3, in Mutter's Spiral. Rather an interesting little planet, I understand. Several of our..."

"Is there anything further of relevance I should know, Coordinator Engin?"

"I see there is an addendum. Ah yes, the sentence was subsequently remitted at the intercession of the CIA."

"Celestial Intervention Agency. They get their fingers into everything."

"There is nothing further on the file." Egin reports.

Castellan chuckles "Oh yes. They see to it there wouldn't be. Can you get me his extract Bio?"

"Yes certainly." Egin says as he begins to walk over to get it looking.

Commander Hilred then walks in up to Castellan. "Castellan, I have to report the intruder in Sector 7..."

"Well?"

"Evaded us. And he shot one of my guards."

"I see. Such efficiency."

"But we have him trapped in the communications tower, Castellan."

"Well done, Hildred. An antiquated capsule, for which you get adequate early warning, tranducts on the very perimeter of the Capitol. You are informed that the occupant is a known criminal, whereupon you allow him to escape and conceal himself in a building a mere 53 stories high. A clever stratagem, Hildred. You're trying to confuse him, I take it?" Catellan yells at Hilred.

"I apologise, Castellan. He won't evade capture a second time."

Castellan narrows his eyes "In the light of your impressive record so far, I would make no rash commitments."

Hilred hands him the letter The Doctor wrote "He also had an accomplice with him as well , A Lady of our own people. I also found this in the capsule."

Castellan begins reading it " "To the Castellan of the Chancellery Guard - I've good reason to think the life of His Supremacy, the President, is in grave danger. Do not ignore this warning. - The Doctor. And he signed it over the Prydonian seal!"

Egin looks at the extract bio he got "Apparently he is or was at one time a member of that noble chapter."

"How can you tell?" Castellan asked.

Egin explained "Well the bio extracts of Time Lords are color coated according to chapter."

Castellan narrows his eyes "I didn't know that. A Prydonian Renegade huh? I'm guessing the Lady with him is also another Prydonian Renegade as well. Try to find out anything about her as well, I have to refer this to Chanceller Goth. "

* * *

The Doctor and Fighter then come out from hiding behind the pillar as they start walking back towards the TARDIS.

"It's her...The Fighter. Predictable as ever Doctor." A black hooded figure mutters to himself observing.

* * *

Castellan and Chanceller Goth are speaking to each other walking through the halls "They are Prydonian Renegades sir. As you well know, when a Prydonian forswears their birthright, there is nothing else they fear to lose. "

"So you think there is a real danger Castellan?" Goth asks.

"They have already killed one of the guards. I think they are ruthless and determined. A typical CIA agent."

"But if they are member's of the Celestial Intervention Agency, why should they wish to harm the President?" Goth asked.

Castellan explained "They could have been suborned. If they're being false to their Prydonian vows, their fidelity is already suspect."

"But this note? Why warn us in advance?" Goth sits in a fur-covered chair.

"Perhaps to get us nervous, or just looking the wrong way. Prydonians are notoriously-"

Goth interrupts "Devious? Not true, Castellan. We simply see a little further ahead than most. Anyway, what is it you want?"

"Permission to withdraw fifty guards from the Panopticon to search the communications tower?" Castellan asks.

"A great loss of pomp and circumstance."

"I'll feel much happier once he is in custody."

"Very well, Spandrell. I should like to see this Tardis. Extraordinary to think an old Type Forty is still operational."

"It's in Sector seven, cloisters."

"Then we'll have to hurry. I have an audience with the Cardinals in a few minutes." Goth tells Castellan.

* * *

The Doctor is on the scanner "Now, where's the local news programme?" The Fighter points it out to him. "Ah thank you."

The screen pops on as a young man in brown and cream Time Lord attire appears on the screen as The Doctor and Fighter watch.

The young man begins speaking "Around me in these high galleries of the Panopticon. Already the Time Lords are gathering, donning seldom worn robes with their colourful collar insignia. The scarlet and orange of the Prydonians, the green of the Arcalians, the heliotrope of the Patrexes, and so on. And the one question that is on all their lips, the question of the day, as His Supremacy leaves public life, is who will he name as his successor?"

The Doctor looks to The Fighter "Oh no it's Runcible-"

"Runcible the Fatuous." The Fighter continues his sentence as she nods and they exchange smiles remembering one of their fellow Prydonian's.

Runcible continues talking "In a moment, I hope to talk to Cardinal Borusa, the leader of the Prydonian Chapter, the Chapter that has produced more Time Lord Presidents than all other Chapters together, and perhaps get an answer to this question."

The Fighter smiles happily pointing at the screen "Look Theta! It's Borusa! He's regenerated since we last saw him at graduation."

The Doctor grins remembering their teacher back in the academy "Oh yes! Good old Borusa! He became Cardinal! "

Runcible goes up to Borusa dressed in the scarlet robes of the Prydonian chapter. "Cardinal Borusa, if you can spare a moment, sir."

"Yes?" Borusa asks.

"Public Register Video. If I could ask you a few questions?"

"Good gracious. Runcible, is it not?"

"Yes, sir." Runcible nods.

"One of my old pupils at Prydon Academy." Borsua explained to his fellow lords.

"May I congratulate you, sir, on your elevation to Cardinal?"

"Thank you, Runcible. Good day." Borusa began to walk away as Runcible stopped him.

"No, no, wait, sir. Please, if I could ask you a few questions."

"Runcible, you had ample opportunity to ask me questions during your mis-spent years at the Academy. You failed to avail yourself of the opportunity then and it is too late now. Good day."

The Doctor and Fighter exchange looks of Grimace to each other over their old teacher snapping at Runcible. The Fighter then laughs "Oh boy, besides looks Borusa hasn't changed much. I was beginning to wonder what he would do if we met up with him again but after seeing him snap at Runcible, I'm afraid he would do the same to you for your low grades and all."

The Doctor gave her a grin happy to see her starting to return back to her old self.

Runcible continues talking on the screen "I'm afraid Cardinal Borusa cannot, at this present moment in the time band, commit himself. However, it is certainly no secret that a very senior member of the Prydonian Chapter, and the present number two in the Time Lord Council, Chancellor Goth, is the widely fancied candidate."

"Oh, get off." The Doctor frowns looking at the screen as he turns it to an outside view of the TARDIS.

Goth and Castellan are talking to each other as they walk towards the TARDIS.

"There's no way this Doctor can enter the Capitol from the tower, is there?" Goth asks.

"Unless the Lady he's got is helping him. Perhaps he's gone to the tower to shake of his pursuers while the Lady inside lifts the barrier. "

"What an inventive suspicious mind you have, Spandrell. So this in an old Type Forty." Goth asks.

"Its shape was infinitely variable."

"Remarkably good condition. What are you going to do with it?"

"I hadn't thought. I was more interested in its operators."

"Well, I shouldn't leave it here in case they trie to sneak back. Transduct it back into the Capitol. Oh, and, er, keep me informed about your progress on the conspiracy."

"Of course." Castellan says as he turns to a guard "Transduct this to the museum."

The guard goes to a wall panel as the TARDIS begins to pixilate.

The Fighter turns to The Doctor frantic "Doctor, what are we going to do?"

He puts his finger to his mouth for her to stay quiet as he walks over to the door opening it and looking outside at the museum. He gestures for The Fighter to follow him as they step outside the door. "What a way to travel." He exclaims. "But which way the Panopticon?"

They began looking around as they walk down stairs where a display of Time Lord regalia is with a gold robe and headdress along with a scarlet robe and headdress. The Doctor turns to The Fighter grinning as an idea comes to him.

* * *

A black hooded figure and man are in the Adytum speaking to each other.

"So, they are within the Capitol."

"All The Doctors actions are exactly as you predicted, Master."

"I know both of them."

"The Doctor is resourceful. He will gain the Panopticon without further help though he seems to be protective of the Lady with him."

"Of course, he knows he is entering a trap. But how can he resist such a bait?" The black hooded figure looks like a decaying corpse dug up after several weeks in the soil. "Quixotic fool. He will die quickly. Make certain he dies very quickly. Leave the girl alone!"

* * *

A guard uses a hand held tracking device to trace The Doctor's path from the TARDIS to the regalia display where The Doctor and Fighter's clothes are now on display.

A guard calls Castellan over "Castellan!"

Castellan walks over observing their clothes "Now they can get into the Panopticon."

"But everyone has to show a pass. The door guards will never let any-" Hilred tried to explain.

Castellan cut him off "Do you think they will stop Gold Usher? Would you? Get over there and try to find him. The Lady might be stopped but Pryodonians are pretty cunning."

Hilred begins to leave the room as Castellan stops him "And Hildred, try to be discreet."

* * *

The Doctor and Fighter are in the Time Lords robing room where two Time Lords are talking amongst each other.

"You know, I remember the inaugural of Pandek the Third."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Nine hundred years, he lasted. Now there was a President with some staying power, what?" A hand takes his gown off the hook.

"Staying power. Where the dickens is my gown?"

"Nine hundred years, eh?"

"I could have sworn it was here a second ago."

"Here you are, sir." The Doctor in a plain white tee shirt holds up the robes helping him into it. The Fighter avoids looking as she is hiding behind the curtain.

"Ah, thank you. Most kind. Yes, very different from the fellows nowadays, what? They're chopping and changing every couple of centuries." The Time Lord replies. The Doctor then quickly disappears behind the curtain going over to The Fighter.

"You're not gold, are you?" The other Time Lord asks.

"Not what?" He looks down at it. "This isn't my gown! That fellow's given me the wrong gown."

"What fellow?" The other Time Lord asks confused.

* * *

The black hooded figure is at the top of the Panopticon gallery as a weapon has been put together and is placed on the railing next to the camera. The Doctor dressed in an orange robe while The Fighter dressed in a red robe walk around the room chatting with everyone.

"Heh, heh, heh. The innocent to the slaughter." The Figure says.

The Doctor and Fighter then begin looking around the room as The Doctor keeps an eye out.

Guards begin to enter as The Doctor pulls The Fighter over with him so they can talk to Runcible avoiding the guards.

"Runcible, my dear chap. How nice to see you." The Doctor tells him.

Runcible turns to look at them confused "What? Oh, I don't believe we've, er. Oh, I say. Weren't you expelled or something? Some scandal?" He asks The Doctor.

"Oh, it's all been forgotten about now, old boy." The Doctor replies.

"Oh, really? Well, where've you been all these years?"

"Oh, here and there, you know. Round and about."

Runcible turns to The Fighter "And what about you? How are you and your husband doing?"

She looks down quietly as The Doctor bends over trying to keep his face and The Fighters hidden from the guards.

"Is there something the matter?" Runcible asks them.

"Oh no, just a twinge in the knee." The Doctor replies.

"Well, if you will lead such a rackety life. Have you had a facelift?"

"Several, so far." The Doctor replied as The Fighter smiled noting his sarcasm.

"Yes, well, nice to have met you. I must get on. I'm doing the PR videocast."

"Yes, and splendidly too, if I may say so." The Fighter spoke up.

Runcible looks at her "Oh, do you think so?"

The Fighter replies "Oh, it's a gift. Somehow you have a wonderful way of making the whole thing come alive."

"Oh, that's very nice of you."

Suddenly Organ chords start up.

"Oh, that'll be the President now. He's just arrived at the Panopticon." Runcible replied.

The Doctor begins to remember his vision of the President and looks up at the Gallery as The Fighter looks up there as well to see what he's looking at.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Runcible asks them.

"What? Yes." The Doctor and Fighter reply.

"Come on, you stupid yoik." Runcible says playing with his ear piece. "I should be getting a signal from my camera technician up there." He points over to the camera.

The Fighter tugs on The Doctor's robe pointing up to a rifle on the railing. "No!" He exclaims.

The Doctor begins barging his way through the assembled Time Lords as The Fighter follows after him. Their headdress begin to fall off in the process. "Let us go! Let us go!" He yells as they began to run out of the hall up to Panopticon gallery where the rifle is. The guards begin to chase after them.

The Doctor and Fighter enter the gallery looking down into the main chamber. The president dressed in white robes begins to walk out.

"Look!" The Fighter tells The Doctor as someone in the audience raises a hand weapon. The Doctor picks up the rifle and shoots as The President falls to the floor with The Fighter gasping at what he has just done. The Doctor grabs The Fighter's hand as they begin running away but The Guards arrive.

"There they are!" Hilred calls out.

The Guards grab them holding them by their arms as they take them down to the audience. The Doctor is struggling while The Fighter remains still. The Guards hit The Doctor over the head.

"Is that them?" A Time Lord calls out.

Borusa walks up "Prydonians."

Hilred holding the gun explains "They were in the gallery, sir, He was holding this."

The Doctor looks up at the roof as The Fighter looks up with him confused. "Extraordinary. The roof's still on. I could have sworn it fell on me." He says as The Fighter fells anger flood in her but holds it back.

The Fighter looks at The Doctor worried about the hit over the head he got.

"Get them to a detention room." Castellan commands.

The Doctor begins struggling "No, no, wait, wait, I-"

"No please! We didn't mean any harm!" The Fighter begs.

The guards begin to take them both away.

Goth then comes running over to Castellan. "Castellan! The President is dead. The trial will start immediately."

"I need more time."

"Time for what?" Goth asks confused.

"There are unanswered questions."

"That, presumably, will be the purpose of the trial."

Borusa speaks up "Such haste is against all our traditions of fairness and justice."

"This is a constitutional crisis. The President died without naming his successor. An election must be held within forty eight hours." Goth explains.

"But that is a separate matter." Borusa tells him.

"No, Cardinal! The Time Lords must not be seen to be leaderless and in disarray. The assassin must be tried and executed before the election." Goth yells at Borusa.

* * *

A cage on top of a pillar, accessible only by a retractable walkway that passes through a weapons detector. The Doctor and Fighter are chained with their hands above their heads. Hildred uses a weapon-like device to encourage the Doctor to talk as The Fighter watches in horror crying yelling at herself to stop him but fear is ruling over her instead. "_You're The Fighter! Come on! He is your friend, save him! Save him! You made a vow to protect your friends and I know i'm scared but I must save him!"_

"You will confess, Doctor." Hildred commands him. "I could always use this on her instead." He looks over to The Fighter as she is frozen in shock.

"All right. All right, I'll confess." The Doctor says not wanting The Fighter to go through more torture as she has had enough with her husband.

"Very sensible." Hildred replies.

"I confess you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were."

"There are fifteen intensity levels in this device, Doctor. At the moment, you're only experiencing level nine. Much easier to talk." Hildred tells him as holds to weapon to him.

"I've got nothing to say."

"Oh, you'll think of something, soon." Hildred turns to The Fighter turning the gun to maximum as The Doctor's eyes widen.

The Fighter looks up at Hildred glaring more confident than last time. "Harm me all you want! Go right ahead, but you won't get anything out of me either." She wasn't going to let fear get to her anymore. She made a vow to protect her friends, she is The Fighter, she shouldn't be giving up that easily.

The Doctor smiled at her noticing she was starting to get her backbone back and be her stubborn self he loved.

"Well? Come on! Try your hardest to get me to talk! Or are you afraid to hurt me?" She began to chuckle feeling the fear bit at her as she tried ignoring it. Hildred glares at her as he begins to zap her.

"No stop!" The Doctor shouts but Hildred ignores him.

"Turn it off" Castellan commands coming into the room. Hildred does as told as turns it off.

"Tweedledee." The Doctor says knowing that would make The Fighter's head pop up as Alice in Wonderland was her favorite Earth story he let her borrow in their childhood. She popped up her head at the name as he gave a sigh of relief seeing she was ok.

Castellan stood in front of them both. " I must apologise for my subordinate. He lets his enthusiasm run away with him."

"I see. The hot and cold technique." The Doctor replied.

"We are simply seekers of the truth, and we haven't got much time. Chancellor Goth has ordered your immediate trial." Castellan said looking at them both.

"I'd like to help you. How about a signed confession?" The Doctor asked.

"That will help. I hate going to court without possessing the full facts. Motive, for instance."

"Now that's a sensible question. Why should anyone want to assassinate a retiring President?" The Doctor asked.

"A personal grudge?"

"I never met him." The Doctor said as The Fighter laughed.

"I know. I have seen your biog. Your's as well." Castellan replied looking at The Doctor and Fighter.

"And you still think we did it?" The Fighter asked.

"I think you're going to be executed for it. They are preparing the vaporisation chamber now. You have about three hours to live, Doctor, Fighter."

"What? Well, that's monstrous. Vaporisation without representation is against the constitution." The Doctor exclaimed.

"He's right you know!" The Fighter yelled nodding.

"You are both an embarrassment." Castellan replied.

"You realise We've been framed, don't you?" The Doctor asked. The Fighter gave him a confused look raising her eyebrow.

"Framed?" Castellan raised his eyebrow as well.

"Yes, framed. It's an Earth expression. It means that someone's gone to a great deal of trouble to get me into this mess." The Doctor explained to them.

"Why did you come back here?"

"To try and save the President's life. If you remember, I left a note for you. Which, presumably, you did nothing about." The Doctor told him.

"All that I could. So you knew the President was going to be assassinated?" Castellan asked him intrigued.

"Yes. In a way, I experienced it." The Doctor said.

"Go on." Castellan told him as The Doctor explained everything.

* * *

Goth is seated, as judge. Borusa stands next to him and other Time Lords are around. Hildred is standing, giving evidence while the Doctor and Fighter are sitting at a table and making notes.

Hildred is speaking "The prisoner eluded us at that time. Later I went with Castellan Spandrell to the Capitol Museum where the TT capsule had been transferred. Erogen tracer immediately became active. I concluded the prisoner must have been in the vicinity sometime previous."

Instead of taking down notes, The Doctor is sketching a picture while The Fighter is taking down notes.

Runcible begins talking "He seemed nervous, well, apprehensive. He was looking around all the time that we were talking. Then, just before the President appeared, he turned and started to run across the Panopticon. After that, I thought he said-"

Another Cartoon sketch and some notes later...

"He pushed past me in a loutish and unmannerly way along with her. Never in all my years of attendance at the Panopticon can I recall such." A random Time Lord says.

Goth asked the Time Lord "If you could confine yourself to this incident, sir. What happened next?"

"Well, I caught them by the arm to remonstrate with them, and he shouted 'Let us go. They'll kill him.'" The Time Lord explained.

"Are you perhaps getting a little hard of hearing these days?" Goth asked.

"Well, er, at my age one can expect these things. I've been having a bit of trouble with my hip lately."

"Let me put it to you. Could the accused have said, 'Let us go, I will kill him'?" Goth asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose it is possible. He could have said that."

"Thank you. Has the accused anything to say before sentence is pronounced?" Goth asked The Doctor and Fighter.

"Yes. Article Seventeen." The Fighter told them standing up.

Goth looked at her shocked "Article Seventeen?"

"I offer myself as a candidate for the Presidency." The Doctor replies standing up as well.

"The application is frivolous."

"No, sir. Article Seventeen of the Constitution which is a guarantee of liberty and says, in part, that no candidate for office shall in anyway be debarred or restrained from presenting his claim." The Fighter explained to them.

"The guarantee of liberty does not extend to murderers." Goth replied.

Borusa adds in "As a jurist, Chancellor, I must point out that until the accused is pronounced guilty, they are protected by Article Seventeen."

"He is abusing a legal technicality." Goth's eyes narrow.

The Doctor explains "No, sir, I am claiming a legal right."

"Very well. But do not think you will escape justice. See that the accused gets no opportunity to leave the Capitol." Goth says to Castellan.

Goth, Hildred and the other Time Lords leave the room leaving The Doctor. Fighter and Castellan alone.

"Forty eight hours, Doctor, Fighter."

"Well, it's better than three." The Fighter says looking to The Doctor.

"What are you going to do?" Castellan asks them.

Guards surround them as they talk. "Suppose, suppose I can convince you we didn't do it?" The Doctor asks Castellan.

"All right, convince me." Castellan nods as The Fighter and Doctor exchange looks.

* * *

Back in the Adytum The black hooded figure and the man are talking.

"Well?" The figures asks him.

"The trial was adjourned, master. They pleaded Article Seventeen." The man explained to him.

"The Doctor remains as ingenious as ever."

"He will not escape." The man says confidently.

"Escape? Escape is not in his mind. Now they're hunting you."

"It was a mistake to bring him here. Maybe we can use the girl he has with him?"

The figure raises his voice in anger "No, You will leave her alone like I said. She has done no wrong to me unlike all the others. You do not understand hatred as I understand it. Only hate keeps me alive. Why else should I endure this pain? I must see the Doctor die in shame and dishonour. Yes, and I must destroy the Time Lords, then I will take The Fighter with me as I should have last time! Nothing else matters. Nothing!"

* * *

The Doctor is examining his rifle he used while Hildred is keeping guard.

"Don't get any ambitious ideas." Castellan tells him.

"What about that symbol at the end of the corridor Doctor?" The Fighter asks him.

"What about it?" Castellan asks

"Go on. You try and hit it." The Doctor tells him.

"Just the kind of hooliganism we're always running the Shabogans in for." Castellan says as The Doctor hands him the gun.

Castellan fires it as he exclaims "Miles away."

"The sights. So you see, I couldn't have shot the President if I tried. And equally, I couldn't hit the assassin. That's why they were fixed." The Doctor told him.

"The assassin, according to you, being one of the High Council."

The Doctor nods "Yes. Yes, he was in the party surrounding the President."

The Fighter added in " I saw him draw a staser and step forward."

"I aimed a bolt at him, but at that time I didn't know the sights had been fixed." The Doctor explained.

Castellan chuckled "One of the High Council. It's getting better and better."

"What is?" The Fighter asked confused.

"Your story, But still a story. Where's the evidence, Doctor, Fighter?"

"I'll tell you where the evidence is." The Doctor says confidently. "In the Public Register camera. I was standing right beside it."

"Doctor, you may yet end up as President" Castellan said as The Doctor gave a grin to The Fighter as she giggled. "Hildred, Take the Doctor and Fighter to the Panopticon."

"Now sir?" Hildred asks.

"Of course now. And I want Commentator Runcible there too. And wait for me."

Hildred gestures for them to walk as The Doctor and Fighter begin to leave the room with him.

* * *

In the Chancellery, Castellan and Goth are speaking as Castellan asks for a request.

"That's an unusual request. You want the Panopticon open at this hour?" Goth asks.

"For further investigation, sir. "

"I see. Well, if there is anything further to be discovered, Castellan. You're keeping a close watch on the Doctor and Fighter, I hope? " Goth asks him.

"Someone is with them at all times." Castellan replies.

"Good. You know that, apart from myself, he is the only other candidate in this election."

"Is that so."

"A murderer and a renegade. That exposes the highest office in the land to ridicule. Well, my first action as President will be to have Cardinal Borusa draft an amendment to Article Seventeen. I shall see that this sort of thing never happens again." Goth says as his eyes narrow.

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter Runicble, Hildred and Castellan began walking down the stairs to the Panopticon. There is a neat chalk outline of where the President died on the dais.

Runcible talks to Castellan "It's not really my field, of course. The technician would normally be responsible."

"Your technician disappeared. Probably scared to death of being involved. All I want to see is the last sequence leading up to the assassination."

"I expect that will be in the last band of the drum."

"Splendid. So perhaps you'll be good enough to fetch it."

Runcible leaves, but there is already someone up in the gallery with the camera.

The Doctor, Fighter, Hildred and Castellan are standing on the dias. The Doctor points to the ground by the sketch of the presidents body "About there."

"Then the bullet would have passed over and to the left." Castellan said pointing. "Yes." The Doctor replies.

The Fighter and Hildred are looking up at the gallery as The Fighter calls out "Doctor!"

"What is it?" Castellan asks.

"I thought I saw a movement up there." Hildred and The Fighter say.

"Oh, that's Runcible. Might be something across here."

The Doctor and Castellan examine the panels at the back of the Panopticon for his stray shot. Hildred and Fighter join them. Hildred has found the weapon trace to the left of the staircase.

"Is that it?" The Doctor asks.

"Stasers don't do a lot of damage, except to body tissue. Looking at the President, you couldn't say whether he was hit in the head or the leg." Castellan explains.

Suddenly a scream is heard as The Fighter calls out "That was Runicible!" She begins to run after him as the others follow.

Someone is removing the discs from the recording drum on the gallery. "Runcible!" The Fighter calls out. The figure hisses and leaves. The Fighter, Doctor, Hildred and Castellan come in to see Runcible has fainted on the ground.

"Well, at least he's alive." The Doctor says.

"Come on, what happened?" Castellan asks as he holds Runcible up.

"Horrible. Horrible. My technician. In the camera"

The Fighter looks up to see the body of a miniature man is in the tube as the others look. The Doctor looks out among the railing as he speaks "Matter condensation. A particularly nasty sort of death."

"I've never seen anything like it." Castellan shakes his head.

"I have, I'm afraid." The Doctor turns to The Fighter frowning as she looks at him confused. She had to tell him about him, she had to tell them about their childhood friend, The Master and what he had become since the last time she saw him.

"What is it Doctor?" She asks him with worry in her tone. "Tell me please!"

He breathes in "It's a technique the Master picked up somewhere on his travels."

The Fighter blinked her eyes in shock.

"Who's the Master?" Castellan asked confused.

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off The Fighter "Who is the Master? He's my sworn arch-enemy. A fiend who glories in chaos and destruction."

The Fighter began to shake her head not believing what she was hearing him say. They weren't enemy's, they were best friends, childhood friends along with her. This couldn't be real. Castellan looked back and forth between The Doctor and Fighter.

"No..." The Fighter said shaking her head. "Not him...please don't say it's him...he would never..."

"Yes. You know, a lot of things are becoming clearer." The Doctor nodded "If the Master is here on Gallifrey, then this represents the final challenge. It explains why I was brought here. There are old scores to settle. And that's just a sort of greetings card."

The Fighter looked at him shocked shaking her head. "What you're trying to tell me is, since you guys left here you guys have become sworn enemy's and are fighting each other? What happened to being friends?"

Castellan points at The Doctor "I want to know all you can tell me about this Master. And I warn you know, if there is some private feud between you, do not try to settle it on Gallifrey."

"It cannot be avoided. Like it or not, Gallifrey is involved" The Doctor looks to The Fighter "and I'm afraid things will never be quite the same again. Shall we go down?"

They began to walk down the stairs with The Fighter keeping a distance away from The Doctor. The Fighter looks over to see Runcible stumbling out towards them.

"I'm sorry, so sorry." He mutters as he suddenly falls to the ground to reveal a large steak sticking out of his back.

* * *

[In the Records Room]

Castallen yells "Four cold-blooded killings in one day."

"Flea-bitings, Spandrell, flea-bitings. Things will get a lot worse." The Doctor looks at him as The Fighter is sitting next to him.

"Not here in the Time Lord Capitol." Castellan yells back pacing the room.

Engin comes into the room reporting to Castellan "Nothing, Castellan. There is no record of any Time Lord ever adopting that title."

"I told you so. If there had been a DE on the Master, the first thing he would have done would be to destroy it." The Doctor looks up at Castellan.

Pointing his finger Castellan explains "According to Coordinator Engin, the Time Lord data extracts cannot be withdrawn without the fact being recorded. I thought that yours had been scanned recently, but he assured me it was impossible."

"Rubbish. Anyone with a little criminal know-how could do it. I could do it myself" The Doctor gestures to the controls as he jumps up"Child's play to the Master. Do you think this stuff is sophisticated? There are worlds out there where this kind of equipment would be considered prehistoric junk."

"What is the Master like on mathematics?" Castellan asks.

The Fighter looks up with her arms crossed from the chair "He's brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Almost up to The Doctor's standard."

"What's that?" The Doctor asks pointing to a control.

"The APC control. Amplified Panatropic Computations. Trillions of electrochemical cells in a continuous matrix. The cells are the repository of departed Time Lords. At the moment of death, an electrical scan is made of the brain pattern and these millions of impulses are immediately transferred to the-" Engin is cut off by The Doctor.

"Shush. I understand the theory. What's the function?" The Doctor asks.

"Well, to monitor life in the Capitol. We use all this combined knowledge and experience to predict future developments."

The Fighter jumps up as The Doctor and her exchange looks saying "Ah. Like the assassination of a President!"

Engin shakes his head "For some reason, that was not foreseen."

"Oh yes, it was foreseen, Engin. It was foreseen by me. How very clever. This time he's surpassed himself. " The Doctor's eyes widen realizing it was The Master calling him to Gallifrey. Then what about his vision of The Fighter?

He looks to The Fighter as they make eye contact "Well, don't you see what he's done? We Time Lords are telepathic and that's how I got the vision about you, you're calling out to me for help deep inside your mind. This APC is simply a brain storage system. The Master intercepted its forecast that the President was to be assassinated and beamed it into my mind. "

Castellan asks "Is that possible?"

"Yes, yes. He could do it. You said my DE had been scanned." The Doctor explained. "Yes. He'd need a biography print to beam a message accurately over that distance. It makes sense, Castellan."

"Maybe, but why?" Castellan asks again.

The Doctor looks over at The Fighter "I told you. Because he has an old score to settle." The Fighter sighs crossing her arms still not able to believe this all.

"Doctor, I simply cannot believe that anybody could do what you're suggesting. How can one intercept a thought pattern from within the Matrix itself?" Engin asks.

The Fighter answers " By going in there and joining it. My dad use to be the Keeper of the Matrix before he passed away remember? The Warrior?"

Castellan and Engin nodded "Oh yes The Warrior of Heartshaven. But still, You mean a living mind?"

"Well, in a sense that's all a living mind is, electrochemical impulses. If we went in there, we could discover where he intercepted the circuit." The Doctor explained.

"I couldn't allow that. It's too dangerous. The psychosomatic feedback might kill you." Engin says.

The Fighter nods sadly "I'm aware of that."

The Doctor puts a hand on her shoulder "You're not doing this, I will."

She hesitates at first but then shakes her head "No I'm doing it, or we can both do it together. I'm not letting you go alone! You and him need to work out whatever happened between you two. You use to be such good friends."

"I'm not having you go in there! I'm going alone!" The Doctor looks into The Fighter's eyes as he puts his hands on her shoulders looking into her brown eyes. "Please! Stay! I'll be fine."

"Let him try." Castellan told Engin. A couch slides out from under the APC as The Doctor gets on it. The Doctor notices The Fighter's nervous look as he looks at her. "Hey, hey. I'll be fine!" She gives him a nod as Engin places electrodes on the Doctor's temples.

"Is this what happens to the near-deceased?" The Doctor asks him.

"Well, they're normally unconscious. I think there might be some pain."

"I'm ready when you are."

* * *

Engin powers up the APC. The Doctor stiffens in pain, then his mind goes hurtling down the vortex into The Matrix.

Betchworth quarry, with his scarf around his neck. Sinister laughter echoes all around. An alligator gaps in a nearby stream. The Doctor slithers down loose chalk and over a precipice until his feet find solid rock. He uses his scarf to lasso a stunted shrub to try and pull himself up. A Samurai warrior appears above him, draws his blade and cuts the scarf, sending the Doctor tumbling down the cliff.

* * *

[Back in the Records Room]

The Fighter is sitting down next to where The Doctor is lying down as his face is covered in sweat. She is looking over him with worry.

Engin looks up at the controls "It's stopped."

"No!" The Fighter jumps up. "I should have gone with him!"

"Brain activity. Look, there's nothing." Engin yells pointing at the controls.

"You mean he's dead?" Castellan asks.

"Virtually. I warned him the psychic shock of that environment." Engin explains.

"But he's still breathing."

"Oh, motor functions often continue for some. He's back! His brain must have an unusually high level of artron energy."

The Fighter gives a sigh of relief. "I wonder what's happening in there."

* * *

**[ Back in the Matrix ]**

The Doctor wakes with an oxygen mask on his face, an operating theatre light overhead, and a masked and gowned surgeon holding a very large syringe standing over him. The figure wears opaque round spectacles.

"You were a fool Doctor to travel into my domain."

The figure leans over to inject him, the Doctor rolls away and down into a World War One battlefield with explosions all around. He runs off, and finds himself standing over at an intersection of railway tracks. There are three railway engines nearby, and each driver's face is concealed. A set of points moves, trapping his right foot between two rails. An approaching train blows its whistle. The Doctor struggles to free his foot as it bears down on him.

The Doctor throws himself sideways, foot still trapped, and the engine passes. Unscathed, he frees his foot easily.

"It's an illusion. Dreams." He tells himself.

The Doctor runs back into the quarry area and steps into a giant egg. "I deny this reality. The reality is a computation matrix." He says to himself again.

The quarry walls flex then turn into circuit boards. A dizzying vortex fills the Doctor's mind and he collapses. Under the burning sun, vultures circle. When the Doctor wakes, two eyes appear in the quarry wall.

The Figure speaks "I am the creator here, Doctor. This is my world. There is no escape for you."

The eyes fade. The Doctor makes his way to the sound of running water. He brushes away some sand to reveal a glass surface, and the image of a clown laughs at him. He covers it over with sand again.  
The Doctor makes his way down a slope into a lightly wooded area, and a biplane circles overhead. The plane dives low and buzzes him then returns for a strafing run. The Doctor flees for his life. The plane makes a second run. The plane flies off. The Doctor discovers that his leg is bleeding.

"I deny it. I deny it!" The Doctor yells at the sky as The bleeding eventually vanishes. He then grins up at the sky.

The Figure speaks "You are trapped in my creation, Doctor. My reality rules."

"All right, I'll fight you in your reality." The Doctor responds.

The Figure talks back "Then it will be a pleasure to destroy you. Be on your guard. Bwhahaha!"

* * *

[Back in the Records room]

Engin informs "His respiration has increased."

The Fighter looks worried over The Doctor "That's an adrenaline response. And there's a massive blood sugar demand. That would suggest he's preparing either to run for his life, or to fight for his life. Oh Doctor, come on, I know you can make it out. You said you would be fine."

Castellan shakes his head "But he can't, can he? Who or what is he fighting?"

"Presumably, another mind." Engin says.

"You mean there's another living mind in the Matrix?" Castellan asks.

The Fighter nods her head well still watching The Doctor with worry "Yes..."

She begins to think to herself "_Please make it out of there, Please Theta. You said you would be fine and we have only just reunited, Please!"_

* * *

[Back in the Adytum]

A person who is not the decaying figure lies on a couch with a red metal helmet concealing their head. It shows an eye's view of someone running through foliage.

The black hooded figure begins to speak "We have him now, but be wary. The Doctor is never more dangerous than when the odds are against him."

* * *

[ In the Matrix]

This person is a big game hunter with a concealed face. He wears a backpack and carries a rifle. He shoots at the Doctor but only hits the chalk cliff. The birds go crazy with the noise, and the Doctor runs, then tries to climb a slope. The hunter is waiting at the top. Another miss.

The Doctor finds a place to hide behind a buddleia bush on the cliff face, but he does not notice that there is a giant spider sitting in its web behind him. The hunter makes his way across the valley towards the cliff as the spider lowers itself in front of the Doctor. The hunter puts down his rifle and raises his mask to drink from his water canteen, then consults a map.

The hunter whisper's to himself "Water. He's going to need water."

The Doctor is chewing on a leaf. The hunter runs off, leaving his canteen and backpack. The Doctor comes out of hiding and crawls over to them, but the canteen is empty. He checks the backpack. A torch, some dynamite, and other items.

The Doctor takes a hand grenade and a small reel of wire. He wedges the grenade in the fork of a small tree.  
The hunter arrives at the nearest water, and pours the green contents of a small bottle into it, then moves away into the reed thicket. The Doctor arrives, and sees him go.

The hunter returns to his backpack, walking into the wire attached to the grenade pin and pulling it out. Bang!

"It didn't get him. If it had, this nightmare would have ended." The Doctor says to himself squinting.

The hunter climbs up on a hill "All right, Doctor. A good try, but not quite good enough."

* * *

[Back in the Adytum]

The black hooded figure yells out "The fool! That could have been fatal. Physical deterioration increasing. He should have finished the Doctor off before now."

The cloaked figure speaks to a guard seated in a chair "Stand. I have a task for you. There may be difficulties. Others may try to prevent you fulfilling my orders. You will ignore them and obey only me. You will let nothing stop you. Do you understand?"

The guard revealed to be Solis responds standing "Yes, Master. I will obey only you."

"This is what you will do."

* * *

[In the Martix]

The Doctor arrives at the pool and stoops to drink, then stops. He finds the discarded bottle and sniffs it. "So that's what he was up to."

The Doctor breaks off a piece of reed. Back at the backpack, the hunter has dressed the wound in his side as best he can. He leaves in great pain. Meanwhile, the Doctor is cleaning out the middle of the reed then using it as a straw to suck up untainted water from the margins. He hears the hunter returning, and leaves.

The hunter calls out "I'm very close to you, Doctor. You'd better start running. Do you hear me, Doctor?"

The Doctor hears him. He hides in a thicket and pricks himself on a thorn, then breaks more off and crawls onwards before climbing a tree. (The Doctor dips a thorn into the remains of the liquid in the small bottle then places it in his reed, turning it into a blow pipe. The hunter approaches cautiously. The Doctor blows, and the thorn hits the hunter in the thigh. He looks up and shoots. The Doctor falls from the tree. The hunter pulls out the thorn and cuts his trouser leg to see the wound it has left. The Doctor rolls over to reveal he has been shot in the right upper arm. He staggers away. The hunter jabs himself with what is presumably the antidote to the poison.

* * *

[Back in the Records room]

The guard Solis enters "Message from the Chancellor, sir. He'd like the Doctor brought to him."

The Fighter looks at him as Castellan speaks to him "Solis, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

The Fighter asks curiously "Who's he?"

"He's one of the Chancellor's personal guard." Castellan responds back.

Engin looks to The Doctor lying on the couch "Very well. You'll have to wait. It'll be over soon, one way or the other."

"He's been in almost four minutes. How long can a living man exist in there?" Castellan asks looking at Engin and The Fighter. The Fighter shakes her head not believing a word they say.

"I've no data available, but his body's on the point of collapse now. Low blood pressure, shallow respiration, carbon dioxide increasing. He can't last much longer." Engin points out.

The Fighter shakes her head denying to believe it. Her father, The Warrior, passed away from The power of The Matrix. It was like someone was possessing him or something as he started acting differently, even her sister Romana started to notice it as well before her and her sister went their seperate ways.

She wasn't going to let the same thing happen to her friend. "Please Doctor!" She began whispering into his ear. "Theta...please...pull through for me. I believe in you! Please come back!"

Solis sees a knob with a bright purple dot on it on the APC and smiles.

* * *

[ In the Matrix ]

The Doctor is staggering through a marshy area. He hears The Fighter's voice calling out to him in his ear. "Theta...please...pull through for me. I believe in you! Please come back!"

The Doctor continues walking "Don't worry, I will. Must keep going. I must keep going."

The hunter watching mutters to himself "He can't last long."

* * *

[ Back in the Records room ]

Castellan looks to The Fighter "It's only a mental battle. If the Doctor's losing, why can't he just pull out?"

Engin speaks up "It's not that simple. His adversary must have been in the matrix many times before."

The Fighter looks to Solis who is about to touch the controls "Hey, don't touch that!"

Solis pulls back "Sorry."

"He's created a mental stronghold, a dreamscape if you like. The Doctor's got caught up in it." Engin explains as The Fighter is keeping a close watch on Solis noticing him acting strange.

"So he doesn't stand a chance?" Castellan asks Engin.

"A very slight one. His opponent is expending energy in maintaining the reality projection. The Doctor can employ all his own artron energy for defence." Engin says.

The Fighter looks at them "No! He has to make it back! I know he can, he's never been one to give up!"

Solis reaches for the purple knob again. Castellan calls out to him "Get back! Get back from-"

The Fighter pushes Solis back but he gets up and lunges for the knob again, so Castellan shoots him. The Fighter gasps.

* * *

[ In the Matrix ]

The Doctor is using a branch to help him walk through the marsh. "Marsh Gas"

He gets onto firmer ground.

* * *

[ in the Adytum ]

"That man! One final effort. Kill him! Destroy him! I, The Master, command you!"

* * *

[In the Matrix ]

The Doctor is hiding in the purple loose-strife and buddleia. We can see the hunter's face through the gauze now, and recognise his voice.

The Hunter calls out to him "Where are you, Doctor? You can't win, Doctor. You might as well give up now."

"What do you want of me?"

"Only your life, Doctor. Your life for my Master."

"I'll make a bargain with you."

"No bargains. Show yourself, Doctor. Get it over with. Do you hear me?"

"No. You show yourself first. Your real self."

"Very well, Doctor."

The Hunter rips off the mask and hat revealing himself to be Chanceller Goth.

"Goth. All right, Goth, you win." The Doctor moves, Goth raises his rifle and fires, igniting the marsh gas and setting himself on fire. Screaming in pain, Goth falls face down into the water. The Doctor comes down into the water, and Goth leaps up and grabs him from behind. They trade punches, splashing around, until finally Goth floors the Doctor then sits on him, hands around his neck, holding his head under the water.

"Finished, Doctor. You're finished." Goth yells holding him under water.

Goth lets go of the Doctor and stands up, hands to his head. The Doctor gets up and hits Goth with the branch he was using as a walking stick earlier.

* * *

[ In the Adytum ]

The Master removes the helmet from a spluttering, gasping Goth. The Master begins yelling at Goth "You wistful, you craven-hearted spineless poltroon. You failed me."

Gasping for breath Goth says "Too, too strong. Too much artron energy."

The Master turns away towards the controls "Bah. There's only one chance now. "

"Master, what are you doing?"

"I must trap him in the Matrix."

Goth begins to beg "No, Master, no. For pity's sake! The connections. You'll kill me."

"I've no time to waste on you." Goth screams.

* * *

[ In the Records Room ]

Smoke comes out of the APC as The Fighter jumps up "No! The Circuits!"

Castellan holds her back "No, you can't! If you cut the power, the Doctor will die in there."

Engin says back "But the circuits are blowing. If there's a fire, the whole panatropic net, thousands of brain patterns will be destroyed forever."

"They're not alive. The Doctor is, I hope." Castellan replies looking to The Doctor as he holds The Fighter back.

"Doctor! DOCTOR! PLEASE!" She fights back tears as she yells hoping to reach him "DOCTOR! You have to come back! I want to travel with you like I should have before...PLEASE!"

The Doctor is surrounded by explosions in the quarry, then vanishes. Back in reality, he breathes in deeply.

* * *

[ In the Adytum ]

A green light stops flashing. Goth looks very unwell.

The Master yells in anger "They've cut the net. He must be out."

Goth says with a weak voice " You fiend. Why did I believe in you?"

The Master walks over to Goth "I'll cheat them yet. I'm not beaten." He picks up a small hypodermic needle.

* * *

[ Back in the Records room ]

The Doctor begins waking up as he coughs. The Fighter gives a sigh of relief running to him. "Do you mind? This is a non-smoking compartment."

"Oh you're back, and with your silly sense of humor nonetheless." She smiles at him while helping him sit up while sitting on the couch next to him.

"How do you feel, Doctor?" Castellan asks.

"Tired." He puts his head back down as it goes on The Fighter's lap and she looks down at him shocked by the action.

Castellan replies "Yes, you'd better rest. You took quite a beating in there."

The Doctor lets out a breath "You should see the other fellow." The Doctor jolts up "Where is he, by the way?"

The Fighter looks at him confused "What other fellow?"

The Doctor looks at her "Goth."

Everyone's eyes widened as Castellan asks "Did you say Goth, the Chancellor?"

"Yes. The Master's legman. He's the assassin, Castellan." The Fighter shakes her head still not able to believe it was him behind it.

Castellan realizes " That's why he wanted a quick execution."

The Doctor stands up, and staggers. "Whoa easy now!" The Fighter helps him.

The Doctor explains "It was Goth, remember, who ordered my Tardis to be transducted into the Capitol. He knew I was still inside it. Goth must have his own link with the Matrix. A tap-in. We've got to trace it back to him before he recovers. " The Doctor looks at the controls to the APC as he points "What's underneath here?"

"Only service ducts." Engin replies.

"Is that all?"

"Well, a long way down, vaults and foundations dating from the old time."

The Fighter looks to The Doctor "You don't mean...?" He grins at her and looks back to Engin.

"Come on, come on. Show me"

* * *

Castellan, Engin, The Doctor and The Fighter come around a corner entering into a dark green room called the Adytum. A cloaked figure sits still on a chair. The Doctor raises the hood to reveal a dull eye in a skull as The Fighter gasps.

"Who is that? Is it Chanceller Goth?" She asks walking slowly up to it and The Doctor.

He turns to her with a frown "It's The Master." The Fighter's eyes widened not believing the decaying corpse that was nothing but a skeleton with rotting skin was their childhood friend. The Fighter grabs The Master's hand.

"Is he dead?" Castellan asks.

Tears began falling from her eyes silently as she turns to them hesitating to speak as if she didn't believe her own words "Yes...yes he is."

Engin looking at Goth laying on the couch still looking like a wreck. "The Chancellor's still alive."

"Not for long, by the look of him." Castellan said walking over to him as The Doctor joins them. The Fighter is still by The Master.

Goth begins to speak slowly "So, Doctor, you beat us in the end."

"Goth. Goth, why did you do it? "

His voice becomes Raspy "Wanted power. Wanted to be President."

"But you would have been."

"President told me I was not his successor."

The Fighter starts coming over to them as she asks "So you killed him?"

"For him, the Master. His plan." The Fighter looks over at the corpse of her friend shocked then back at Goth.

"What was his plan, Goth?" The Doctor asks.

His speech begins to become slow "Met him on Tersurus. He was dying. No more regeneration possible. Promised me share all his knowledge if I bring him to Gallifrey."

The Doctor leans in towards his face "Goth? Goth, what was his plan?"

"Couldn't fight his mental dominance. Did everything he asked. Sorry now." He begins gasping in for breath as he dies.

"No answer to a straight question. Typical politician."

* * *

[ Back in the Chancellery ]

Castellan begins explaining everything to Borusa as The Doctor and Fighter stand behind their old academy teacher "It seems clear how it happened. The Master tried to trap the Doctor in the APC net by overloading the neuron fields. Then he collapsed and died, leaving Chancellor Goth still connected into the circuit."

"Natural causes?"

"Yes, sir. His body was extremely emaciated. He had come to the end of his regeneration cycle."

The Doctor and Fighter begin whispering to each other about their old teacher "I wasn't expecting to meet him again in this way."

The Doctor gives her a grin. "Though it is good to see him again and you as well my dear." The Fighter smiles as Borusa turns around walking over to them as they become dead silent quickly.

"The story is not acceptable. This is a very difficult, very delicate position. We must adjust the truth. In a way that will maintain public confidence in the Time Lords and their leadership. How many people have seen this Master since his death? "

"Apart from ourselves, Hildred and the two guards who took the body to the Panopticon vault."

"Then we shall rely on their silence. We shall change the appearance of the corpse, Castellan. We all know the posthumous effect of a staser bolt. Within the hour, the body will be charred beyond recognition. Our story is going to be that the Master arrived in Gallifrey to assassinate the President, secretly. Before he could escape, Chancellor Goth tracked him down and killed him, unfortunately perishing himself in the exchange of fire. Now that's much better. I can believe that."

The Fighter yells "WHAT!?"

Engin looks at him "You're making Goth into a hero?"

"If heroes don't exist, it is necessary to invent them. Good for public morale."

"And the Doctor and Fighters part in all this?"

Borusa walks up to them "Best forgotten. Of course, Doctor, Fighter, the charge against you will be dropped. Conditional on your leaving Gallifrey tonight."

The Fighter looks to The Doctor "Somehow B- I mean Cardinal, I don't want to stay. I don't know why I crazy enough to in the first place." She gives a smile to The Doctor as he grins back.

"Good. I believe you know something of the Master's past."

The Doctor answers before The Fighter can "We've bumped into each other from time to time."

"Then before you leave, you can assist Coordinator Engin to compile a new biog of him. It doesn't have to be entirely accurate." Borusa keeps his eyes on The Doctor and Fighter while talking to Engin "A few facts, Coordinator, will lend it verisimilitude. We cannot make the Master into a public enemy if there is no data on him. I'll leave that to you then. Later, Castellan, we must take another look at data security. We cannot have Time Lord DEs simply vanishing from the records."

Borusa turns to Castellan "Well, I think that's all. You'll attend immediately to the cosmetic treatment?"

"Sorry?" Castellan asks confused

"The body, Castellan. " Borusa then walks out of the room.

The Doctor and Fighter look at each other grinning as they say "Only in mathematics will we find truth."

Engin looks at them confused. "What?"

The Doctor speaks up "Borusa used to say that during our time at the Academy, and now he's setting out to prove it."

* * *

[ In the Adytum ]

A guard finds the hypodermic needle as Hildred joins him. Hildred's communicator beeps. "Commander Hildred, Sector seven."

Castellan appears on the screen on the communicator that looks like a watch "A little job for you, well within your capacity. Come to the Chancellery."

" Immediately, Castellan."

* * *

[ In the Records Room ]

The Doctor is describing The Master to Engin. The Fighter has gone see The Master's body in the Panopticon vault. Castellan has already gone over to the Chancellery.

"What about his character?"

"He was evil, cunning and resourceful. Highly developed powers of ESP and a formidable hypnotist. And the more I think about it, the less likely it seems. Well, that the Master would meekly accept the end of his regeneration cycle. It's not his style at all."

"But that's something we must all accept, Doctor." Engin hands The Doctor a drink.

"Thank you. Not the Master. No, he had some sort of plan. That's why he came here, Engin."

"After the twelfth regeneration, there is no plan that will postpone death." Engin takes a sip of his drink.

"He had a plan. Something to do with Goth becoming the President. What's so special about the President, Engin? "

"Nothing. He's simply an elected Time Lord, usually from some senior position. He holds the symbols of office, but otherwise he's no different from any other Time Lord."

"Symbols."

"Yes. Relics from the old time. The Sash of Rassilon. The Key."

The Doctor looks at him "Tell me about Rassilon."

"Well, it's all in the book of the old time. But there's a modern transgram that's much less difficult."

The Doctor's eyes widened "Oh!"

Engin looks at him worried "What is it?"

"Engin, I can feel my hair curling, and that means either it's going to rain or else I'm on to something."

* * *

[ In the Chancellery ]

Castellan looks at Hildred "I chose you for this special mission because he's already dead. You are unlikely to miss him. Right, off you go. Not a word to anyone. "

Hildred hands him a needle "Castellan, we found this in the adytum, under the chair where the body was."

"Empty, but enough traces to analyse, no doubt. Thank you, Commander. And report back after you've restructured the Master."

* * *

[ In the records room ]

Engin explains "And today we tend to think of Rassilon as the founder of our modern civilisation. But in his own time he was regarded mainly as an engineer and an architect. And, of course, it was long before we turned aside from the barren road of technology. "

The Doctor chuckles "Yes, that's all very interesting. Could we hear the transgram?"

"Early history is something of a pet subject."

Engin pushes a button as the voice of a woman sounds out around them talking. "And Rassilon journeyed into the black void with a great fleet. Within the void, no light would shine and nothing of that outer nature continue in being, except that which existed within the Sash of Rassilon. Now Rassilon found the Eye of Harmony, which balances all things, that they may neither flux nor wither nor change their state in any measure. And he caused the Eye to be brought to the world of Gallifrey wherein he sealed this beneficence with the Great Key."

The Doctor turns to Engin "Where's the Great Key?"

Engin turns off the playback. "It's an ebonite rod carried by the President on ceremonial occasions. But it's actual function, if it ever had one, is a complete mystery."

"Where's it kept?"

"In the Panopticon. There's a display case of relics."

"And the Sash of Rassilon, where's that?"

"Oh, that's held by the President. That stays in his possession."

The Doctor chuckles "Of course. What a stupendous egotist. The Master. He'd have destroyed Gallifrey, the Time Lords, everything, just for the sake of his own survival."

Castellan enters and hands the hypodermic needle to the Doctor. "It seems that the Master didn't die from natural causes."

"What?"

"He killed himself. Careful, it's poison."

"Tricophenyladehyde."

"Deadly, no doubt." Castellan looks around for The Fighter. "Where did The Fighter go?"

Engin responds "Oh she went to the Panopticon vault to say her last goodbye's to The Master."

The Doctor's eyes widened looking at the needle "No. It's a neural inhibitor. Castellan, we've been fooled. The Master, he's still alive."

Castellan and Engin's eyes widen "I've just sent Hildred to staser him."

"And The Fighter is with him!" The Doctor begins running out of the room as the others follow.

* * *

[ In the Panopticon Vault ]

Three bodies lie in the vault. The President and Chancellor Goth, with their faces covered, and the corpse-like Master. He stirs as Hildred enters to see The Fighter in the room.

"What are you doing here?" He asks her.

She turns to look at Hildred as she wipes her tears "Sorry...I was just..."

Hildred sighs "Understood."

"What are you doing here?" She asks him confused.

"I'll leave you alone to your mourning." Hildred says as he leaves the room.

The Fighter looks back to The Master's body as she begins to call him by his childhood name he went by in the academy "Koschei...I'm so sorry! I should have taken you up on your offer to leave Gallifrey sooner, then maybe I could have prevented this from happening to you!"

She looks at his corpse not afraid of how it looks anymore as she is filled with sadness and anger towards herself "Theta...I mean, The Doctor told me that you and him are enemy's now. Why? You guys used to be such good friend."

She begins falling to the floor feeling the pain from the loss of her friend get to her as well. It felt the same way as when she first lost her mother, The Wanderer, she was so close to. Then the same thing with her father The Warrior.

They left her and her sister Romana alone to look after each other but she started pushing Romana away wanting to protect herself in case she lost her little sister next. The Fighter doesn't notice The Master stirring.

"Why? I swore to protect you both but instead I just acted like a coward and followed my husbands orders to stay by his side like a good wife. I even pushed my little sister Romana away in the process. I choose the name The Fighter as it meant a person with the courage or disposition to fight, someone who does not give up : someone who continues fighting or trying. But look at me now, covered in bruises, obeying my husband like a good wife and not even bothering to fight."

She begins to stand up again to look over him "I'm running away instead of fighting my problems. You two have always been there to protect me and all I've done is watch you take the lead from the background. Look at what I have let happen to you."

Her hands start to form fists "Alright, no more caving! I refuse to give up, I'm not going down without a fight. I will live up to my name The Fighter and I will never let this happen to you or anyone else ever again. I make that promise to you. I'll be the Tiger you always used to call me."

The Master jolts up as she jumps back surprised "K-Koschei?" She blinks her eyes "B-But they said you were dead? You had no pulse!"

He pulls his cloak up to cover his face so she doesn't look at him. "Don't look at me! I don't want you to see me in such a state!" He yells confused she hasn't run away screaming yet.

"Oh...Sorry." She begins to move towards him slowly "Koschei..."

"I don't go by that name anymore. I am The Master!" He yells as he moves back from her.

She wasn't afraid and kept moving towards him trying to talk to him. "Sorry...Master." He had to admit he liked it the sound of that coming from her of all people. He kept trying to avoid her as suddenly Hilred came in with his Staser to do his job shocked to see The Master alive. The Master quickly grabbed his throat killing Hilred as The Fighter look at what happened shocked.

"So is it true what The Doctor has told me? That you've become evil and your part of the President's assassination?" The Fighter asked him curiously as she kept trying to get him to look at her but he was trying to hide his face remaining quiet.

She looked at him saddened as he refuse to take them. She then quickly ran up to him while he was distracted and took his disfigured hand in her soft one as he looked at her shocked. "I'm not afraid of you Koschei, Master or whatever you want me to call you. You're one of my childhood friends and I would never give up on you. I don't care what you look like or even how bad people say you have become, I will always believe in you because I-" She stopped talking as she realized the next words she was about to say as she shook her head shocked.

After all these years did she still hold feelings for him like when they were little? She mentally shook her head as she snapped out of her trance looking at him. "So please, trust in me and let me help you! You've been hurt, I can tell! But just know, I would never hurt you! Have I ever given you a reason to not trust me anymore?" She asked him as he shook his head.

"Then please, trust in me and let me help heal you! Don't worry about hurting me and Take my regenerations!" She yelled at him as he fought back to take the offer. It was an intriguing offer to take up, but he couldn't do that to her. Though he was desperate, He just couldn't do that, not to her who had never done him wrong.

He yelled to her "No! I already have a plan to get more regenerations! I don't need your help!" The Master searches the President's corpse.

She looked up at him with tears falling from her eyes "By any chance did you hear anything I said before you woke up?"

"Not at all, Tiger." He said to her as they began to hear footsteps approaching.

"Ok then I will just prove it." She smiled determined as the footsteps were getting closer. He slinks off into the shadows just before Castellan, the Doctor and Engin enter.

The Doctor then ran into the room and ran to The Fighter relieved to see she was fine. Castellan looks over at where The Master's body was laying "The Master, he's gone. Are you alright?"

The Fighter looks at them nodding "Yes but I can't say the same for Hildred." She points to the tiny doll on the ground.

"Did he harm you in anyway?" Engin asks confused.

She shakes her head. "No I was just talking to him. Apparently he's still alive."

The Doctor looks at her "Ah of course, The Master's consumed with hatred. It's his one great weakness along with not killing himself and not harming you Fighter." She looks at The Doctor confused by what he said.

The Master comes out from the shadows holding a gun"Ha. Weakness, Doctor? Hate is strength."

The Doctor pulls The Fighter back behind him as he looks to The Master "Not in your case. You'd delay an execution to pull the wings off a fly."

The Fighter jumps out in front of them both looking at them "Stop it you two! Just stop! What has happened to you both to make you act this way towards each other?"

"Now Fighter..." The Doctor tries to talk to her as The Master grabs her holding the gun to her head.

The Master laughs as The Fighter remains still "This time, Doctor, the execution will not be delayed. Castellan, I assure you I am not nearly so infirm as I look." He points the gun to The Doctor "Now you, bring me the Sash of Rassilon. Oh yes, Doctor, why else do you think I feigned death? When Goth failed me, it was necessary to more direct means. But the Sash is wasted on our dead friend, don't you think so? Bring it to me and I'll let her go!"

The Doctor watches The Fighter worried "Don't do it, Engin. He's bluffing, like I said, he won't harm her."

The Master yells out "A stupid remark, Doctor. Resistance is futile now."

The Fighter looks to The Master "Please...don't do this!"

"Don't give him the Sash, Engin" The Doctor yells to Engin.

"I have suffered long enough from your stupid, stubborn interference in my designs. Now we are coming to the end of our conflict, Doctor."

Castellan moves forward and the Master shoots him. The Fighter gasps at what has happened. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Why have you brought me here? " The Doctor asks him.

The Master yells"As a scapegoat for the killing of the President. Who else but you, Doctor? So despicably good, so insufferably compassionate. I wanted you to die in ignominious shame and disgrace."

The Doctor steps forward and gets shot. "No!" The Fighter yells out.

The Master begins walking holding The Fighter in his grasp with one arm as he points a gun at Engin. "Now, do as I say, Coordinator, or you'll get the same."

Engin strips the late President of the Y shaped sash and gives it to the Master. The Master throws The Fighter to the ground pointing the gun at Engin still as The Master begins to back away out of the room.

He tells her "They're not dead. Stunned. They'll live long enough to see the end of this accursed planet, and for the Doctor to taste the full bitterness of his defeat!" The Master leaves, and Castellan and the Doctor waken.

The Fighter looks at The Doctor as they make eye contact. They help each other up as Castellan stands up. "The Sash. Where's the Sash?"

"It's gone." The Fighter says with wide eyes shocked by what just happened. Seeing a different side to her friend she has never seen before.

Engin adds in "Well, what could I do? It's only of symbolic value anyway."

The Doctor looks at Engin "Engin, that Sash is a technological masterpiece. It protects its wearer from being sucked into a parallel universe. All he needs now is the Great Key and he can regenerate himself and release a force that'll obliterate this entire stellar system. Don't you realise what Rassilon did? What the Eye of Harmony is? Remember? That which balances all things. It can only be the nucleus of a black hole. "

Castellan shakes his head "But the Eye of Harmony is a myth. It no longer exists."

"A myth? Spandrell, all the power of the Time Lords devolves from it. Neither flux nor wither nor change their state. Rassilon stabilised all the elements of a black hole and set them in an eternally dynamic equation against the mass of the planet. If the Master interferes, it'll be the end not only of this world, but of a hundred other worlds too."

* * *

[ In the Panopticon ]

The Master smashes a display case and removes the President's Great Rod. He goes to hole in the floor in front of the main dais, and inserts it, twisting it in line with the markings on it. A section of the dais opens and a bright light comes out, followed by a giant crystal. Four pipes are attached to it, back and front, with red valve handles.

" Rassilon's star, the Eye of Harmony."

* * *

[ In the Panopticon Vault ]

The entrance door has been sealed by the Master as The Fighter, Doctor, Castellan and Engin are trying to open it.

Engin breathes in "It's no good. We can never move it."

"You're right, but we've got to get out of this place. There must be a way out!" The Fighter yells.

The Doctor goes over to a sloping shaft by the biers. "There's a light up there. Where does that lead, Castellan?"

"The Panopticon. An old service shaft. " Castellan replies looking up.

"It's a hundred feet at least." Engin says.

The Fighter picks up her robes and begins climbing up. "Oh come on! Let's go!" The Doctor grins following after her.

The Master has put on the Sash, and walked around the Eye. He opens one of the valves, removing the pipe from the Eye, and the place shakes. The Doctor and Fighter keeping going as Rocks tumble down the service shaft.

* * *

[ In the Panopticon ]

Two more pipes have been removed. The Master strokes the Eye. The Master laughs "Rassilon's discovery, all mine. I shall have supreme power over the universe. Master of all matter! Bwhahahaha!"

The Doctor and Fighter make it to the top of the shaft as the building starts to fall apart. The Fighter covers The Doctor as rocks and such fall from the building. The Doctor and Fighter then land face first on the floor.

"Doctor, Tiger, my congratulations. You're just in time for the end." The Master tells them.

The Doctor yells to him "You're insane. You're insane, do you hear me? You're releasing a force that nothing can stop."

"Stop Koschei...You can stop this now!" The Fighter calls out to him.

"Take the Rod. You can take it with you to your grave, except that none of you will need a grave." The Master reaches for the final pipe.

The Doctor looks up "If you undo that, you'll die as surely as any of us."

"You can do better than that, Doctor. Even in extremis, I wear the Sash of Rassilon."

The Fighter yells out to him "Yes, and the President was wearing it when he was shot down. The Sash won't protect you. It's damaged! Stop this now!"

"You lie!"

She shakes her head "I'd never lie to you, you know that. I'm sorry, but I can't let you do this."

The Fighter pushes the Master away from the Eye, and replaces one pipe. The Master tackles The Doctor who steps in front of The Fighter protecting her, then chases him up the steps, swinging a club or something at him.

At the top, the Doctor turns and pushes the Master back down the steps as The Fighter is working on replacing the pipes. The Master goes to stop The Fighter but gets a punch in the stomach for his efforts and goes down. The floor of the Panopticon splits, and the Master falls into the crack. He tries to pull himself out, but cannot get a grip. The Fighter runs over to him"Take my hand Koschei!" She wasn't going to let him die but she also wasn't going to let him get away with doing evil things.

As she reaches him he finally falls, screaming. "No!" She yells as The Doctor goes to replace the pipes on the Eye. When the final one is in place, the planet stops shaking and the Doctor takes a deep breath in relief as The Fighter and Doctor exchange looks.

* * *

[ In the Chancellery ]

Borusa runs his fingers through a layer of stone dust on his desk. The Doctor is lounging in the fur-lined chair as The Fighter sits by him.

Borusa yells at them just like he did back in the academy " Half the city in ruins. Untold damage, countless lives lost."

"But for the Doctor and Fighter it could have been much worse." Engin states.

Borusa turns to look at them "Yes indeed, I am conscious of the debt we owe these two. But Gallifrey has never know such a catastrophe, such devastation. What will we say?"

The Doctor stands up "Well, you'll just have to adjust the truth again, Cardinal. What about subsidence owing to a plague of mice?" The Doctor suggests as him and The Fighter share a look remembering their other childhood friend, The Rani's experiment with Mice that went wrong.

"As I believe I told you long ago, Doctor, you will never amount to anything in the galaxy while you retain your propensity for vulgar facetiousness." Borusa looks over to The Fighter "As for you Fighter, you use to be such a perfect student until you started getting into shenanigans thanks to your friends."

The Fighter stood up and gave him a smile as she put a hand on The Doctor's shoulder as he spoke "Yes, sir. You said that many times, sir. May I go, sir?"

"Certainly you may, preferably with the utmost expedition." Borusa looks behind them to Castellan "Perhaps you will see that the transduction barriers are raised, Castellan."

The Doctor and Fighter began to walk out of the room as Borusa stops them "Oh, Doctor, Fighter?"

They turn to him saying "Sir?"

"Nine out of ten."

The Doctor and Fighter give their old teacher smiles as The Doctor says "Oh. Thank you, sir."

"It was nice to see you once again Sir." The Fighter says smiling as she leaves the room with The Doctor as Borusa smiles watching his old students go.

* * *

[ In the Museum ]

Engin, The Doctor and Fighter walk past a long case clock and on to the TARDIS.

"You know, Doctor, Fighter, if you two wanted to stay, I'm sure any past difficulties could be overlooked." Engin tells them.

The Doctor grins talking like a child "But I like it out there, thank you very much."

The Fighter smiles "Besides, It's time I take him up on his offer for leaving."

Castellan comes in "The barriers are raised, Doctor."

"Thank you, Castellan." The Fighter smiles at him.

"It's we who should thank you, Doctor and Fighter for destroying the Master." Engin looks at them.

The Fighter looks down "I tried to save him but...didn't make it in time."

"Well, I didn't actually see him fall, you know. I was quite busy." The Doctor says as he notices The Fighter looking over at a Grandfather clock.

"Oh, but if by some miracle he survived the fall into that chasm, he was dying anyway."

"There was a good deal of power coming out of that monolith, and the Sash would have helped him to convert it." The Doctor said as he looked back to Engin.

Castellan looked at him "Are you suggesting he survived?"

The Doctor points his finger at him as he begins to put the key into the TARDIS opening it motioning for The Fighter to come in"No, no, I hope not, Castellan. And there's no one in all the galaxies I'd say that about. The quintessence of evil. Goodbye, Castellan."

"Goodbye, Doctor and Fighter." Castellan calls to them.

"Goodbye, Doctor and Fighter!" Engin joins in.

The Fighter and Doctor are stepping half way of the door grinning "Oh, goodbye, Engin, goodbye." The Doctor then closes the door as The Fighter observes the TARDIS. The TARDIS dematerialises. Castellan turns and sees a wizened hand move a curtain by the long case clock.

Castellan points "Look, the Master."

"Where do you think they're heading?" Engin turns to him.

"Out into the universe. But, you know, I have a feeling it isn't big enough for the three of them." Castellan replies.

The Master's face appears in the clock face as he laughs and the clock dematerialises.

* * *

This was a pretty long chapter, This is a new record for me! I'm hoping you guys enjoy it. Like I said, This story will be following The Classic Who episodes with Doctor's 4-8. 

If you've never seen the Classic Who episodes, this will hopefully give you a gist of what they are like. I decided to write them out because everyone is writing out the New Who (I am as well) and just decided Why not write out Classic Who as well. Sorry It doesn't involve Doctors 1-3 but you will be seeing them soon!

To make things less confusing about some facts of The Fighter's life: Yes Romana and The Fighter are sisters (being from the house of Heartshaven), Yes they have a complicated relationship with each other and you'll find out why later on, Yes The Doctor and Master have some feelings for The Fighter, Yes more about her is to come.

Next Chapter will follow the next episode "The Face of Evil." Tell me what you all thought of this and if you like the idea. Please leave a review, thanks! :D


	2. Chapter 2: The Face of Evil PART 1

**Hello my dear readers. I am back with more of "Running Away from Gallifrey!" I took a huge break from writing this story and was updating another one from a different fandom mostly because I was stuck but today my inspiration for this story came back and I finally figured out my problem. **

**A special thanks to the last two reviewers in the last chapter: Lord Creator and Nightingale.**

**As the chapter before this one, this chapter follows Episode 89 "The Face of Evil" in Classic Doctor Who Season 14.**

* * *

**Running Away from Gallifrey**

**Classic Doctor Who Fanfiction**

**Paring: Fourth Doctor and Second Fighter (With some Leela)**

**Chapter 2: The Face of Evil PART 1**

**Summary: The Doctor's childhood friend, The Fighter is now traveling along with him as they arrive on a jungle planet and encounter a savage girl called Leela. Facing a new evil they must save the planet and Leela's tribe.**

* * *

Animals call in the night, and a cybermat shaped thing with a small forked tail slithers along the sandy ground as the Tardis materialises amongst dead looking trees. The Doctor steps out, looks around along with The Fighter following behind him. The Fighter is wearing a different outfit, a olive green Victorian styled dress with her black hooded cape. He turns to look at her "I think this is not Hyde Park. Could be a nexial discontinuity. Must remember to overhaul those tracers. Put a knot in my hanky."

He pulls out a hanky from his pocket that already has a knot in it. The Fighter looks at him curiously "I wonder what that was for. Little look round, Doctor?"

He replies shrugging and grinning to her"Why not?"

They began walking around the area observing the animals and plants. The Fighter begins to speak up "Um Doctor?"

"Yes?"

She hesitates before speaking "I was just thinking about what happened before back on Gallifrey, What happened with you and K- I mean the Master? How did he become...evil?"

The Doctor stopped in his tracks hearing the confusion and sad tone in her voice. He turns to look at her speechless not knowing exactly himself. They remembered that back in their academy days The Master was kind though later on he did began to show a bit of a dark side but was still a kind person.

Suddenly The Doctor's face formed an O expression as he remembered meeting The Master before he was banished to Earth by the Time Lords. It was in his second regeneration with his old companions Jamie and Victoria, oh the good old times. It was back when The Master still went by the name Koschei.

Koschei had a human companion with him called Ailla, at least he thought she was human. She turned out to be a Time Lady agent from the Celestial Intervention Agency (CIA) sent to spy on Koschei sent by the Time Lords. Koschei thought she got killed while him, The Doctor and their companions were saving the day. Koschei had destroyed the planet Terileptus in order to bring Ailla back. Ailla's betrayal and his murdering of a planet proved to be too much for him as the Koschei whom he knew was no more. Maybe this is what caused The Master to become who he was now? (1)

"What is it?" The Fighter kept looking the Doctor waiting for an answer.

He looked at her and told her everything he knew about The Time Lady Ailla and what happened with Koschei. After he was finished talking, The Fighter looked up at him shocked as she gasped "Wait you said she worked for the CIA and her name was Ailla right?"

The Doctor nodded in reply as The Fighter's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. The Doctor looked at her concerned "What is it? Whats wrong?"

She looked into his eyes "That's my cousin Ailla." The Doctor looked at her with a shocked expression as well as she continued talking. "I knew there was something strange about her always saying she liked Koschei. I can't believe she would do a thing like that, poor Koschei." Tears began to fall from her eyes as The Doctor wiped them away.

He pulled out Jelly Babies from his pocket "Have a Jelly baby!" She knew he was trying to cheer her up in his own way as she took one and giving a small smile. He grinned at her putting them back in his pocket as he took her hand and they continued walking through the dead looking area.

* * *

The Doctor is whistling 'Colonel Bogey' as he still holds The Fighter's hand while exploring. Something large growls nearby. They both look around for where it came from as the Doctor continues whistling.

Suddenly a girl trips at The Doctor and Fighter's feet. The Doctor kneels down to the ground and says "Hello. Hello, did we startle you? Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you." The Fighter looks at the girl and takes her hand to help her up off the ground as they stand.

The brown haired girl looks to them "The Evil one."

The Doctor looks at her shocked "Well, nobody's perfect, but that's overstating it a little. I'm the Doctor." He gestures over to The Fighter "And that's The Fighter. Whats your name?"

"Leela."

The Doctor grins at her "Leela. A nice name, Leela."

The Fighter smiles at her "A pretty name, Leela!"

The Doctor continues "I never met anyone called Leela. Would you like a Jelly Baby?"

Leela looks at him shocked "It's true, then. They say the Evil One eats babies."

The Fighter looks at her confused as The Doctor responds "You mustn't believe all they say."

The Fighter gives a chuckle "No, these are sweets. They're rather good. Go on, have one." The Doctor pulls out the paper bag of Jelly Babies to Leela. She grabs one and smells it. The Doctor walks past her a little looking over to something with wide eyes.

The Fighter watches Leela hesitantly eating the Black Jelly Baby as she laughs. "Don't worry, it won't harm you. I was a little hesitant at first about it but they're actually pretty good." Leela tears in it half eating it.

The Doctor turns back to them as he looks at her "Leela. Leela, either you've got four friends with very bad colds, or we're in danger. Which is it?"

She responds looking around "They're your creatures."

The Fighter looks at her confused "They are? I wonder if they know that. What are they like?"

"They can't be seen. They are phantoms" She replies looking at her.

"Invisible. We've got a chance." The Doctor replies pulling out a wind-up alarm clock from his pocket, except it only has the numbers 0 to 4 on it, anticlockwise.

The Fighter looks at him smiling "Brilliant idea!"

Leela looks at the object confused "A magic talisman?"

The Doctor starts winding it up "No, it's a clockwork egg timer. To our friends, whatever they are, the visible spectrum is irrelevant. They're blind." He puts it on a large stone nearby "Crudely speaking, they home in on vibrations." Leela picks up her crossbow as The Doctor comes back over to her and The Fighter after hearing another growl.

He looks to them "Shush, shush, shush. I want you to do exactly as I say. You two and I are going to walk away from here very slowly and very quietly. And no matter what happens, you mustn't cry out or make any sudden move. And above all, you mustn't run until I tell you. Is that clear?" Leela and The Fighter nod. " come on. Come on."

The Doctor takes Leela's and The Fighters hand and they carefully walk away. They stop in their tracks as The Doctor whispers "Freeze."

Leela says loudly "What?"

The Doctor and Fighter put their fingers to their mouths whispering "Shush!"

They look ahead of them to see Big footprints appearing in the sand. The Doctor whispers to them "Now tread carefully." The Doctor lets go of their hands as he begins to walk first but trips and falls flat on his face in front of the footprints. The egg timer goes off.

The Fighter steps in front of Leela and they help pick the Doctor up. "Saved by the bell! Come on!" The Fighter grabs The Doctor's and Leela's hand as they begin running. Stones near the egg timer go flying in all directions, then the timer is squished flat.

* * *

"Stop, we're safe now." Leela stops letting go of their hands and falling to the sand to sit. "We can rest. The creatures won't cross the boundary."

The Fighter sits down on the ground next to Leela as The Doctor who is still standing looks to them "How can you be sure?"

"They never have. You should know that." Leela responds.

The tone in The Doctor's voice becomes a bit annoyed "I keep on telling you, we're not the Evil One. Who was it saved your life?"

"You two." Leela responds.

The Fighter looks at her smiling as she cuts in before The Doctor can knowing he was annoyed "Yes, thank you. Never cross the boundary? You know something? I'm sure those creatures don't stay on their side of the boundary out of a sense of fair play. There must be a fence of some kind."

Leela looks at her confused "A fence?"

The Doctor replies "Yes, a fence."

* * *

The Fighter removes a blue-green rosette plant to reveal a piece of equipment half buried in the sand. "Got it. Low intensity sonic disrupter set in a hundred and eighty degree spread. Simple but effective."

"Does that keep away the phantoms?" Leela asks.

The Doctor replies "Yes. It gives them a nasty headache if they go too close. They're probably set at intervals along the whole boundary." The Fighter puts the plant back over it. "The technology's quite advanced, so you didn't put them there."

Leela gasps "Xoanon!" She begins blessing herself.

"Xoanon? What's those?" The Fighter looks at her confused.

"He's worshiped by the tribe."

"What, he's a god?"

Leela nods "Yes. I was cast out for speaking against him. It's said he's held captive."

"By whom?"

"By the Evil One and his followers, the Tesh. Maybe there is a holy purpose." Leela shakes her head confused "I don't know what to believe anymore."

The Doctor looks to Leela "Well, that sounds healthy anyway, Leela. Never be certain of anything. It's a sign of weakness. Now, where's this Xoanon held?"

"Within the Black Wall, wherein lies Paradise."

"Is that just religious gobbledygook, or is that an actual place?"

Leela replies "There is a Wall."

"Is there. Will you show us?" The Doctor asks as Leela nods and starts walking.

* * *

Night is falling in the dead forest as The Doctor, Fighter Leela are walking through it. Leela suddenly calls out "Shush. I thought I heard something. Into cover, quick."

The Doctor turns his back looking away from them into the distance as Leela runs over hiding in the shadows of a tree with The Fighter following her. The Doctor looks back and doesn't see them because of the fog. He begins to whisper "I don't. Leela, Fighter? Leela, Fighter,where are you?"

"Over here." The Fighter whispers to him sticking her head out a bit.

"What? This is no time to be playing games." He shakes his head at her.

The Fighter facepalms herself as Leela looks to him whispering "I don't understand."

The Doctor begins walking over to their hiding place "You don't understand? If they're preparing for a battle, they're hardly likely to send men on patrol on the off-chance that you might come back." Two crossbow bolts thud into the tree trunk directly in front of the Doctor. Leela and The Fighter is hiding behind it.

The Doctor looks at the crossbows "On the other hand, I could be wrong about that."

Someone yells "Stand still!"

The Doctor looks to the two girls then looks to his side "Oh, absolutely." The Doctor looks back to them and whispers "Keep down, and get moving."

Leela looks to him whispering "We can't leave you. They'll kill you."

The Doctor whispers "Go away." The Fighter looks into his eyes shaking her head no. The Doctor begins to speak loudly to the attackers while still looking at the crossbows. "That was either very good shooting or very bad. Either way, I wouldn't dream of moving."

Three men with crossbows come into view. "Who are you?" one asks.

"I'm the Doctor. Who are you and why are you shooting at me?"

"Where is Leela?"

"Who?"

"Spread out. She must be here somewhere." One of the man start looking around the area. Leela looks to The Fighter as they exchange worried looks. The Fighter puts a finger to her mouth reminding Leela to be quiet as The Fighter grips her hands to fist in case she has to fight them off, she should have thought first before wearing a heavy Victorian dress knowing that when you're with the Doctor trouble follows. She looked to her fists to see the bruises and cuts were gone already meaning her regeneration energy was working normally again.

The Doctor spoke out "Look, would you mind if I turned round? I feel a bit silly talking to this tree." The Doctor turns and walks forward, and the warrior blesses himself.

The warrior says "The Evil One."

The Doctor grins at the three warriors walking towards them away from the tree "Oh dear, you too. Well then, tread softly, gentlemen, or I'll turn you into toads."

Leela looks to The Fighter grabbing her arm and motioning for her to follow her as they creep away.

The Doctor continues talking "That gesture you did. Yes, that's the one. It's presumably to ward off evil. It's interesting because it's also the sequence for checking the seals on a Starfall Seven spacesuit. And what makes that particularly interesting is that you don't know what a Starfall Seven spacesuit is, do you."

The Doctor holds a jelly baby under the nose of the red-haired warrior. "Now drop your weapons, or I'll kill him with this deadly jelly baby."

"Kill him, then." A warrior replies.

The Doctor puts the Jelly Baby to his own mouth "I don't take orders from anyone." He eats the Jelly baby. "Take me to your leader."

* * *

The Doctor is escorted into a meeting hall. He is blindfolded with his own scarf, and his hands are tied behind his back. His captor unwraps the scarf from his face. The Doctor grins at them "Good evening. I think you're going to be very happy I came here tonight."

Leela is using a very large hunting knife to cut through the fabric that makes up the back wall of Neeva's hut as The Fighter helps her. They climb through. In the hall, Neeva is waving his tech up and down the Doctor's body like a Native American Medicine man.

"I'd be careful of that if I were you. It's an ultrabeam accelerator." The Doctor says to Neeva.

"See how it fears the sacred relics of Xoanon." Neeva says to the the others.

"If there happens to be a charge in there, you could transform this whole village into a smoky hole in the ground."

"Hear how it threatens us."

"Yes, well, look, if you'll just untie my hands, I think I have an idea of what's going on. I may be able to help."

"Hear how it squirms for release. Hey, hi ya. Ah, it cannot deceive us."

The Doctor looks to Andor "Oh no, I can see you're a person of very superior you the leader of this tribe, or his he?"

Andor sitting on a throne looks to the Doctor "Will you release our god Xoanon?"

"Well, gladly, if I was holding him prisoner, but I'm not."

Andor replies "Then you must be destroyed, that we may release him." Andor brings his knife up to the Doctor's throat.

Neeva interrupts grabbing Andor's hand holding the knife "Wait, Andor. Call the warriors together and I will speak the litany. Then it shall be destroyed before them and they will know that victory is ours. I will prepare myself."

"Very well, Guard, give the signal." Andor yells.

"Don't hurry on my account." The Doctor yells to Neeva as he looks to Andor grinning.

Leela and The Fighter hide as Neeva enters his hut. Outside, someone is striking gong made of a large square of metal, labelled Survey Team 6.

"I cannot believe it." Andor yells.

"Andor, listen to me." The Doctor begs.

"No. No!"

The Doctor looks at Andor "Andor, please listen to me. I am not the Evil One. I am a traveller, that's all. Your tribe has obviously been visited by travellers before."

Andor looks in disbelief "Before? But that is impossible."

"They're space travellers, Andor. Men from another world. The whole place is littered with their equipment, their weapons and tools. Your legend of a captive god is obviously related to them in some way."

Andor walks over to a guard pointing to The Doctor "Guard it well."

"Andor, please think about what-"

"Its words are evil."

"Andor."

"Do not listen to him!" Andor leaves the room.

The Doctor yells "Andor, killing me isn't going to help you." He then mumbles to himself "It isn't going to do me much good either, is it."

Leela and The Fighter are listening as Neeva prays, having robed himself with the remains of spacesuit. The helmet hangs down his back. "Let the tribe of the Sevateem partake of your strength, Xoanon, that they may inherit your kingdom. Hear thy servant Neeva. Hear the shaman of the Sevateem. Hear my prayer."

Neeva leaves the room as The Fighter whispers to Leela "We need to find The Doctor. He might know where he is, come on." They begin to sneak around and go to the back door.

The Doctor is sitting in the stalls when Neeva enters in his regalia and goes to speak to a warrior. " Lugo, when I reach the end of the litany, you know what to do." Leela and Fighter watch from the back door.

They listen to the warrios and Neeva chanting outside "Death to the betrayers of Tesh."

The Fighter sneaks into the room kicking Lugo in the back with force knocking him onto his knees as Leela stabs him in the back. The Fighter whispers to Leela "What are you doing? You didn't have to stab him."

The Doctor turns to look over at them shocked. "How did you do that?"

The Doctor turns his back as The Fighter cuts the ropes off his wrist with the knife Leela gave her. Leela holds a thorn up for him to see. "Janis thorn. It paralyses, then kills. There's no cure."

The Doctor and Fighter look at her with eyes narrowed saying "What?"

Leela replies "It was necessary. Come on."

The Doctor puts his hand up "No, listen. Listen."

Leela whispers to him "We haven't got time to listen. They're coming to the bit about killing the Evil One, and that's you! Have you forgotten?"

The Fighter was beginning to understand how the Doctor was getting annoyed by being called this evil one. She listened in on the chanting along with The Doctor.

The Doctor turned to her "Do you know this litany?"

"Of course. We're taught it as children." Leela replied.

"Good. Then let's go, and don't dawdle." The Doctor, Fighter and Leela begin to walk away.

Leela and The Fighter show the Doctor the way out through Neeva's back wall. Leela climbs through first as the Fighter quickly jumps out. The Doctor gets out just in time as a warrior runs in. The warrior sticks his head through the fabric and Leela stabs him with a thorn. She spreads his arms out as they stiffen, so he cannot be pulled back into the room.

Leela walks back over to The Fighter and Doctor as he speaks "That wasn't necessary. Who licensed you to slaughter people? No more Janis thorns, you understand? Ever."

The Doctor walks away as The Fighter looks at Leela "You know there is a different way to fight without killing people." Leela looks up at her as The Fighter follows behind the Doctor and Leela follows after her.

They come to a foggy clearing. They stop in their tracks as The Fighter lets out a gasp. The Doctor's eyes widen as he says "Well now, it seems I have been here before."

"That's the Evil One." Leela explains.

A large rock face has a carving of the Doctor's face on it. "B-But how?" The Fighter asks looking at it.

The Doctor walks closer to it "I must have made quite an impression."

The Fighter looks to The Doctor "What happened? You must be able to remember."

He looks at the rock confused "Well, of course I can remember. I'm trying to. Perhaps I was on another part of the planet."

Leela replies "There is no other part. Only beyond the Wall."

"Beyond the Wall. I wonder."

Leela and Fighter both ask "What?"

"Shush, shush, shush. I'm wondering. Back to the village."

Leela yells "We can't! We'll be torn to pieces!"

The Fighter replies grinning "Not if they don't catch us, we won't."

The Doctor looks to her grinning "Anyway, they'll be preparing for their battle."

"That's what you said last time."

"Well, you can't expect perfection, you know. Not even from me." The Doctor begins walking away as Leela narrows her eyes.

"Oh You..." The Fighter says smiling as she follows after the Doctor and Leela.

* * *

They are outside where Leela cut through the wall fabric. The Doctor says "I must examine those relics."

Leela looks to him "The village was dangerous enough, but the shrine of Xoanon?"

The Fighter chuckles "He's always had a knack for trouble and danger, it's to be expected when you're around him."

"I like the hat. Very fetching." The Doctor calls out looking into the room through the fabric tear where Neeva was.

Leela turns back "That was the Hand of Xoanon."

"That was an armoured space glove, or what was left of one." The Doctor begins to climb through the fabric tear as they follow him.

In the shrine, The Fighter runs to look out the door. "It's all clear." Leela follows looking out the door as The Doctor walks over to the table of relics. They both walk back over to him.

"Amazing. You know, I had a feeling, I had a feeling that Neeva was actually expecting to hear an answer to his prayer."

"There wouldn't be much point in praying if he didn't." Leela replied.

"I could quote you a few theologians who'd give you an argument on that. He was listening." Leela raises her eyebrow at him.

The Doctor picks up a blue tube and presses a button on the side. "Hello? Intergalactic Operator? Hello? Over? Dead as a Dalek. There must be something."

"Dead as a what?" The Fighter looked at him confused.

"Why did you talk to that tube?" Leela asked confused as well.

"I thought I recognised it." The Doctor said.

The Doctor goes to the stand and taps the spacesuit helmet, then turns away. It calls out "Neeva. " Leela drops to her knees, hands over her ears. "Neeva!"

The Fighter and Doctor look at the helmet curiously as the Doctor says " Poor old Neeva. Hotline to god." The Fighter looks down to Leela and kneels down as Leela looks up at her "Don't be afraid. It's only a machine for sending voices over long distances." They both look up at it.

The Doctor continues talking "That may be Xoanon speaking, but it's not God. Gods don't use transceivers."

" Are you certain? "

"Aren't you?" The Doctor asks Leela.

"Yes."

"That's better."

Xoanon calls out through the helmet again "Neeva. Neeva."

The Doctor stands up and walks over to it. "I'm sorry, Neeva isn't here at the moment. Could I take a message? Over."

"At last we are here. At last. At last. Us."

The Fighter walks over to it curiously "Us?"

"You. Me. Us. We. At last I shall be free of us."

The Fighter turns to The Doctor "Why is it talking in your voice?" The Fighter turns to talk to the helmet again "Who are you?"

"Don't I know?"

The Doctor backs away mumbling as he begins to speak clearly "Fighter, Leela, I have a feeling. Something nasty. Something I did. It seems like it."

Leela looks at him confused walking towards him "What are you talking about?"

"Who did that voice remind you of?"

The Fighter replies walking over to them "You. It was your voice. How could that be?"

He looks at her "More to the point, who could that be? I must take a look at the Wall." They begin to leave the room as The Fighter takes one final glimpse back at the helmet.

* * *

As Andor leads his warriors, both men and women, through the forest, Leela, the Fighter and the Doctor stand in front of a shimmering something.

"It's a time barrier." The Doctor says.

The Fighter adds in "The principle's really quite simple. You just move everything forward a couple of seconds inside it. You get a barrier that's impervious to all energy. A true void."

"I've seen it done as a parlour trick, but never on this scale." The Doctor says.

Leela puts her hand up to it "Isn't there any way to get through it?"

The Doctor replies "Not unless whoever set it up deliberately bridged it."

Leela looks to him "So that means Andor and the others-"

"Are walking into a trap, yes." The Fighter replies nodding.

Leela turns to her "Isn't there any way we can warn them?"

The Doctor replies " It's too late. Anyway, they wouldn't listen."

"Caleb might. Let's try." Leela begins running off as they both follow her.

* * *

They arrive back at the meeting hall as Leela whispers "Someone's coming." Leela hides, but the Doctor and Fighter stand in the open.

The Doctor turns to Caleb "Hello, Caleb. I was just thinking about you."

"So Neeva and Andor were lying." Caleb says as Leela stands up behind him.

"I wouldn't be surprised." The Doctor replied.

"Where's Leela?"

The Fighter points behind him as Leela says "Behind you."

He turns to look at her grinning "Ah."

The Doctor asks "How was the battle?"

"Just as the old ones remembered the last time. The Wall closed up."

Leela asks "A massacre?"

Caleb looks down "More than half the men were killed, and we never even saw the Tesh. "

"You seem unhurt." Leela says looking at him.

"There's no virtue in dying, Leela." He replies.

The Fighter narrows her eyes at him saying "That rather depends on what you do to avoid it." Leela pulls out another knife she had.

The Doctor turns to Leela "Leela, put the knife away." He looks to Leela and The Fighter "I'm sure he's a reasonable man."

Caleb looks to him "Thank you. So what do you want of me?"

"We need someone's help." Leela replies.

The Fighter looks at Caleb "Leela seems to think it might be yours."

"The tribe is in desperate danger, Caleb. The Doctor and Fighter can help. They're the only ones who can. But we must convince the others that The Doctor's not the Evil One."

The Doctor mumbles to them " Having first of all, of course, convinced you."

"I don't think you're the Evil One, and never have. I don't believe in ghosts."

The Doctor looks at Caleb "I'm impressed. Perhaps Leela's right about you."

"But if I'm to help, I need to know everything."

The Fighter walks over to Caleb "There isn't much time. You see, Leela, The Doctor and I found an impenetrable barrier." Caleb stabs a Janis thorn into Leela's hand and draws his knife. Leela falls to the ground as The Doctor holds his hands up but tries to go over to The Fighter but she stands her ground looking at Caleb.

"Janis thorn. Something you haven't thought of. Now stay where you are." Caleb yells at her and the Doctor.

The Fighter though nervous tries to maintain a confident look "I thought you were too easily convinced."

Caleb looks over to The Doctor "I meant it. You're certainly not the Evil One, but the others think you are. Neeva said you'd been destroyed. You're just the evidence I need to break him."

The Doctor looks down at Leela along with The Fighter "She underestimated your ambition."

"It's for the good of the tribe."

"Of course. This too."

The Doctor begins to walk over to the Fighter but Caleb stops him "She would have opposed me. I said stay where you are!"

The Doctor looks at him "You need me alive, remember?"

The Doctor kneels down to look at Leela as The Fighter remains standing where she is. Suddenly Tomas bursts in yelling at Caleb "Caleb, you held back! You cost us the attack!"

Caleb is distracted. The Fighter kicks his leg out from under him and grabs Leela's crossbow going to the back corner facing Caleb. The Doctor follows behind her and calls out to Tomas "Come in. Who are you?"

He replies" Tomas. " He looks down at Leela. "Leela! What have you done to her?"

The Doctor replies "He poisoned her with a Janis thorn. Up!"

Caleb looks to The Fighter "You've broken my leg."

The Fighter looks to him feeling bad at first but then remembers to stand her ground "Oh my bad. I'll break your nose if you don't get up." Caleb gets up and looks to her.

The Doctor was amazed at The Fighter beginning to get her fighting spirit back as he tells Caleb "Now pick Leela up, both of you."

The Fighter begins walking over to Caleb holding the crossbow to him as he says "It takes skill to use one of those."

The Fighter looks at it "Hmm I don't know how to use it but, At this range, all it needs is a flick of the wrist. Pick her up." Tomas and Caleb lift the rigid Leela between them.

The Doctor looks at them saying "And Move!"

They put her on the acceleration couch. The Fighter is still holding the Crossbow to them as The Doctor says "Gently." The Fighter had to admit her both her hearts were racing at doing this. She hadn't felt this side of her in a long time since before she married her husband, now traveling with The Doctor he seemed to be bringing her old fighting spirit back to her.

Caleb walks over to them "Now what are you going to do?"

The Doctor replies "Tomas, you don't want her to die, do you?"

"No, of course not."

"Then cover him. I need time to work." The Doctor replies as The Fighter looks to him.

"I can help you. I'll be your nurse." The Fighter grins at the Doctor as she gives the crossbow to Tomas as The Doctor turns to the relics along with The Fighter."This is a bioanalyser, rattlesnake. I can identify the poison and programme the medikit to make an antitoxin." The Fighter takes the thorn from Leela's hand and puts a sample into the analyser. The Doctor notes the results and goes to another piece of equipment.

Caleb speaks to Tomas "What do you suppose they're doing, Tomas? You don't really think that's going to help Leela, poking around in Neeva's relics?"

The Doctor turns to Caleb yelling "Shut up, rattlesnake. I'm trying to save time. Leela hasn't got much left." The analyser produces a printout which the Doctor puts into the medikit.

Tomas looks over to Leela laying on the couch with her eyes and mouth opening looking at them blank "I think she's dead. "

"Got it!" The Doctor calls out going back to Leela.

He's gone!" Thomas calls out.

The Doctor turns to The Fighter "Watch the door." She goes over to Thomas and watches the door. The Doctor presses the mini-hypo into Leela's palm. After a few moments, she blinks, then moves her head.

"Doctor?" She asks looking up.

"Are you alright?"

Leela looks to her hand "The Janis thorn. There's no cure."

"Yes, there is. Just a matter of finding one."

"Do you know the answer to everything?"

"Yes. Well, no, no. Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions that is hard." He replies.

The Fighter looks over to them with a smile as Thomas calls out "They're coming!"

The Doctor asks Leela "Can you move?"

Leela starts getting up "I think so. My arm hurts a bit."

The Fighter grabs the Crossbow as The Doctor tells Tomas "Tomas, take her and Leela out of the back way."

The Fighter looks at The Doctor as he tries to grab the Crossbow from her "I'm staying with you."

Leela nods "Same."

The Doctor raises his voice "Give me the crossbow, You're going with Tomas. I'll meet you both later. Go."

The Fighter looks to the Doctor and hesitates at first but shakes her head "N-No. Thomas can protect Leela and you gotta admit, You need me just as much as I need you. I'm coming with you!"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. Her stubborness seemed to come back as well which he liked but not at times when like this, he gave in. "Fine come along." They stepped out of the room as The Doctor to warriors surrounding them outside.

"Good evening, gentlemen. You know, I never thought you'd get here. Good heavens, look at that." The Doctor said pointing behind them as The Fighter held up the crossbow to them.

The Doctor sits on the throne as he continues speaking "Now then, down to business. I'm beginning to think you don't like me." Neeva begins to walk up towards him" Ah, Neeva. Is it really you? They told me you were dead. Or was it the other way round?"

* * *

Leela and Tomas climb out from the fold as Andor calls out to them. A man is pointing a crossbow out to them "So Caleb was right. Both of you in league with the Evil One."

"You blind, blind fool, Andor." Tomas says.

* * *

Leela, the Doctor, The Fighter and Tomas have their hands tied behind them, and Andor is back on his 'throne'. People are yelling at him. Andor calls out "Silence! Be silent!"

Neeva points to Leela "Did it not bring the witch, one of its servant, to life? I tell you it was destroyed, but not totally, so it renewed itself."

The Doctor had lost his temper "Ha! If you can believe that, you can believe anything. I'll tell you once again. I am not the Evil One."

Andor yells to him "But it was you, you who wiped out the attack."

"Oh, flapdoodle! I was nowhere near it."

"That's true. I was with him all the time." The Fighter added in.

Neeva yelled out pointing at her "Pah! Would you believe a witch?" The Fighter glared at him as she was beginning to lose her temper as well.

The Doctor spoke "The attack failed because it was a trap from the start."

"And who would have set such a trap?" Neeva asked.

"Xoanon!" Leela yelled as everyone began to gasp.

Tomas looked to Leela whispering "Oh, that was a great mistake."

"They must all be totally destroyed. Throw them to the Horda!" Neeva yells.

Commotion begins to break out in the room as The Doctor and Fighter turn to look at each other asking "What is a Horda?"

Caleb suddenly yells out breaking the commotion "No, wait! I do not believe he is the Evil One."

Leela whispers "Conscience?"

"No, politics. He's trying to break Neeva's hold on the tribe." The Doctor replies.

Caleb continues talking "If he can be killed, then he is not the Evil One, because the Evil One is a god."

The Doctor nods whispering"Good point. Fifteen love."

Neeva's eyes narrow at Caleb "The litany says it can be destroyed."

The Doctor whispers again "Fifteen all."

Caleb calls out "I say we should put it to the test and see if he speaks truly."

"But the test is for mortals." Andor yells out.

"If he can be killed then he is a mortal!" Caleb replies yelling as the crowd mutters to each other.

The Doctor continues whispering "Game, set and match to Caleb, I think."

* * *

They go to the Horda pit looking at the thing. It has a little tongue sticking out, a horny plate on its head, tiny insect wings at the top of its segmented body. The Doctor looks at it saying "So that's a Horda. Well, it doesn't look to formidable. What do I do, fight it or eat it?" Caleb holds out a stick and the Horda sinks its sharp little teeth into it. A sort of land piranha. The Fighter and Doctor's faces do an O expression.

Caleb explains "They'll strike at anything that moves, except each other. Ten of these can strip the flesh from a man's arm almost before he can cry out."

The Fighter asks "I take it there are more than ten in there."

Andor replies glaring at her "The pit is full of them."

Caleb looks to the Doctor grinning while pointing "You stand on that." A waist high wall made from bits of spaceship with a cover of interlocking planks.

The Doctor asks "And then what?"

Caleb hands him a crossbow replying "You must break the rope."

Leela tells the Doctor "Doctor, the rope gets thinner the further it goes, but it gets faster too."

The Doctor looks at her confused "What? The rope gets thinner the further it goes"

"Faster!" The Fighter exclaims.

"But it gets faster too. The rope gets thinner the further it goes" The Doctor continues saying while looking at them.

A warrior slaps Leela and The Fighter. "Silence! He does it alone!"

The Doctor's eyes narrow at the man "Who is that man?"

Caleb asks "Which man?"

"That man!" The Doctor snatches Caleb's stick with the Horda still clamped onto the end, and hits the warrior with it. The Horda bites his shoulder instead and he runs screaming into the dark.

The Doctor looks to The Fighter "Sorry about that." He then looks at Caleb "Shall we get on with it?" The Doctor climbs onto the pit hatch. "Well?"

"Let the test begin." Caleb announces. A man pulls a lever and a large rock begins to drop, pulling the planks apart as The Doctor looks at The Fighter and Leela grinning and waving. The teeming horde of hungry Horda are underneath as The Doctor looks back up with a worried expression to the Doctor turns to shoot at the rope as The Fighter breaks free from the ropes on her hands. He takes his time, checking the sights. Leela breaks free from her ropes as well and gets as far as the lever while The Fighter is knocking the warriors down but a man stops Leela and The Fighter. "Stop!"

The man is holding a crossbow to them. The Doctor looks down to them as he turns and quickly shoots through the rope and the rock splashes into water. "Very good, Doctor. Very good." The Fighter and Leela let out a sigh of relief.

The Doctor begins walking down the steps as he says "Well, are you convinced now? Fighter, Leela, that was very nice of you to try and help me, but really there was absolutely no need." The Doctor looks at Caleb "Would you just release our friends, please?"

The Fighter asked him "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

The Doctor turns to look at her "Shoot like what? Oh, like that. In Switzerland. Charming man. William Tell, he was called." The Fighter looks at him a bit confused but remembering hearing the name Switzerland on a map he showed her of the planet Earth back in the academy.

The Doctor and Fighter turn to go back to the Xoanan shrine. They enter to see Neeva standing by the spacesuit helmet. The voice is a man's but not the Doctor's this time.

Xoanan calls out "Neeva. Neeva, where is he? Doctor? Doctor, are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here, Xoanon."

"Ah, good. Good. We have decided" Xoanan begins to speak in a different voice "To destroy you."

"I see, Xoanon. Why don't we get together and talk things over?" The Doctor gathers some things from the relics table, including rope and gaffer tape.

The first voice of Xoanan speaks "We are together. We have said all there is to say and know all there is to know."

"Now we don't want to do anything hasty, do we?"

"Hasty? It's been" Xoanan begins to speak in his second voice again "An eternity. I'm turning off the boundary to let in my pets from beyond. Goodbye, Doctor."

Neeva turns to The Doctor as he stops in his tracks. Neeva asks "What does it all mean?"

The Fighter replies "It means trouble. Large, deadly and invisible."

Out in the forest, the sonic disrupters switch off.

* * *

The Doctor is working on an assortment of relics as The Fighter stands next to him with Caleb observing. "Screwdriver." He asks her as she hands it to him. Tomas and Leela enter the room.

"We've set the guards round the perimeter." Tomas explains.

"Everyone knows what to expect." Leela adds in.

The Fighter looks to them "Good. Did you explain about their attraction to vibrations?"

"Of course." Leela replies nodding.

The Doctor adds in "You know, we're very lucky they carried these things. Let's hope we can profit from the misfortunes of those travellers."

"I don't understand." Leela says confused.

"I mean the planetary survey teams. That's where your tribe got its name from. Sevateem, survey team. The question is, were you here before them?" The Doctor replies working on the relics.

Caleb asks "Are we their captors or their children?"

"You catch on quickly. Certainly they never returned to base."

"Is the weapon ready?"

"Why, are you taking charge here?" The Fighter asks Caleb.

"Do you object?"

"I object!" Leela exclaims looking at Caleb.

He looks to her "Leela, I don't expect you to like me."

"Then you won't be disappointed."

"Tomas, take this." The Doctor hands him a small gun like object.

"How does it work?"

The Doctor explains "You just point it and press it. It's destructive up to about twenty times bow range. Short bursts, Tomas. It's self-regenerating but it takes time to recharge."

* * *

Outside the village, Leela sharpens her knife on a rock as the Doctor sets a squat cylinder humming with The Fighter sitting sit next to them in the sand. "There. That should keep Xoanon's creatures on their side of the perimeter. Now we have got to get inside that time barrier and soon."

Leela spoke "According to the old ones, the tribe has had seven attempts at that."

The Doctor begins mumbling to himself "I could build a time bridge myself, but that would mean dismantling the Tardis and then it mightn't work."

"Doctor?" The Fighter asks.

"Yes?"

"You know you said nothing could get within that barrier? But Xoanon is inside it."

"Yes."

"How do we hear his voice?"

"Well, it's quite simple. We." He stops talking as she grins at him exchanging a message between each other. He grins at her "You're a genius. A genius." They began to get up as Leela follows behind them confused. "What did she say?"

* * *

Back in Xoanan's shrine, Neeva is sitting on the couch, in a trance. The Doctor walks in "Come on, Neeva. Neeva! Come on, snap out of it, man."

Neeva replies still in the trance "Yes, lord. What is your will?"

The Doctor turns off the space helmet transceiver. "Neeva, when you hear the voice of Xoanon, is it when you're at the altar, or when the vestment is hanging in its frame?"

"Yes master."

"Have you heard it anywhere else?"

"Yes, master."

"Where?"

"Yes Master."

The Doctor cups his hands over his mouth and shouts "Neeva! Neeva! This is Xoanon." Leela and The Fighter enter the room. "Where have you heard my voice?"

Neeva replies "Only here, lord, in your shrine."

"You've been a good and faithful servant, Neeva. Go back to sleep now." Neeva falls backwards on the couch.

The Doctor looks over to The Fighter and Leela "It is a tight beam transmission. There's a bridge over the time barrier and I know where it is." He switches on the transceiver again. "This time I have to admit defeat."

The Fighter whispers "Doctor?"

He looks into her brown eyes putting a finger to his mouth telling her to be quiet. "Shush." He points to the helmet "Xoanon."

* * *

Back in the forest, The invisible monsters attack a guard. The gong is sounded. "The Fools!" Leela exclaims as they turn towards the noise.

"They must have panicked." The Fighter says

"That'll attract the creatures."

"Yes. Come on, we haven't got much time." The Doctor says as they begin to run again.

* * *

They arrive at the sculpture of the Doctor. "The nose could be a shade more aquiline, and the noble proportion of the brow hasn't been perfectly executed. Still, we mustn't complain. We live in an imperfect universe. The Doctor says examining it.

Leela asks "Where's the bridge through the barrier? Up the nose?" The Fighter chuckles.

"No, it isn't! Up the nose. It's over the teeth and down the throat." The Doctor replies. They began walking through the mouth of the sculpture climbing over the teeth.

"Odd feeling" The Doctor exclaims looking at The Fighter and Leela.

The Fighter nods "I agree. Never thought this would happen."

"What?" Leela asks.

"Standing in my own throat. " The Doctor replies. A passageway leads on, but a shadow moves against a lit section of its wall.

They look at the shadow as Leela asks "What is it?"

* * *

**End of Part 1 of this chapter. I will be posting Part 2 of this chapter soon. I decided to put these into two parts just because I'm super busy with school (That's why It has taken me a while to update.) Part 2 will be the last of "The Face of Evil" Episode. **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far, Reviews make the world go round. ^_^ See you all in Part 2.**

**Now as for notes:**

**(1) The whole entire thing with Koschei aka The Master becoming Evil because of Ailla's betrayal is from the DW novel "The Dark Path." I came up with the creative idea of making Ailla The Fighter's cousin. Don't worry, We will get to meet up with Ailla later on in a chapter I plan to add her in and also get The Master's P.O.V of it. The Fighter isn't letting her cousin get off that Easily for it.**

**I believe that is all I had in notes. If you have any other questions just Pm me and I'll gladly answer them. See you in Part 2 of "The Face of Evil."**


	3. Chapter 3: The Face of Evil PART 2

**Here is the Last part of the chapter/Episode of "The Face of Evil."**

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

**Running Away from Gallifrey**

**Classic Doctor Who Fanfiction**

**Paring: Fourth Doctor and Second Fighter (With some Leela)**

**Chapter 3: The Face of Evil PART 2**

**Summary: The Doctor's childhood friend, The Fighter is now traveling along with him as they arrive on a jungle planet and encounter a savage girl called Leela. Facing a new evil they must save the planet and Leela's tribe.**

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela continue to watch as a shadow continues to move against the 'throat' passage wall in the rock carving. Leela whispers looking to the Fighter and Doctor frightened "Doctor, Fighter, What is it?"

The Doctor looks up, down and all around the area curiously. He then looks back to Leela and The Fighter "There's only one way to find out." He offers his hand out to The Fighter as she grabs it and does the same for Leela as they continue walking to go see what the shadow was.

They start down the passage, and see a figure in a space suit. The Doctor pulls Leela and The Fighter back out of sight. A red light envelopes the figure and it walks through the wall. They turn back to see the figure is gone.

The Fighter looks curiously "It's gone!"

"Where's it gone?" Leela asks. They begin walking through the passage where it was to investigate. The Doctor and Fighter go to the end of the passageway and look out across a plain to where a spaceship stands.

The Doctor looks at it shocked with eyes wide "I remember now. The Mordee expedition. And I thought I was helping them." The Fighter looks to him curiously and puts a hand on his shoulder asking "What happened?" He turns to look at her hand on his shoulder suddenly becoming relaxed at the touch as he opens his mouth to reply but is interrupted.

"Doctor, Fighter, what are you doing? Will you please help me find this Tesh?" Leela whispers in the dark passage behind them looking around it.

The Fighter turns around to answer the girl as The Doctor gives one last glimpse out to the plain. "Tesh? How did you know it was a Tesh?"

The Doctor joins in, going back to them as he asks Leela "Have you ever seen a Tesh?"

"Well, the skin was loose and shiny, as we're told, and it had two heads, one inside the other." Leela explains to the two Time Lords. The Doctor begins walking back into the passageway investigating something.

The Fighter replies "That was a protective suit and helmet. Must be another environment through there." She looks to the wall where The Doctor is standing as they both exchange grins in agreement. The red light covers the Doctor as he walks through it.

The Fighter looks over to Leela grinning as she gestures for her to come over. "Come on then."

Leela looks at her shocked like she's crazy "It's a solid wall!"

The Doctor's voice sounds around the room but he is no where to be seen "It's an illusion, called a psy-tri projection. Combination of a three dimensional image which acts on the eye. Close your eyes." The Fighter closes her eyes still smiling as she stands by the wall. The red light begins to cover her as she walks through it.

Leela goes to the wall standing as The Fighter's voice sounds around the room. "Close your eyes Leela." Leela closes one eyes but keeps the other open. The Doctor's voice sounds around the room "Both of them! Take one step back" Leela takes one step back as she is suddenly covered in the red light. "Now walk forward."

She walks forward through the wall as she exclaims "Great Xoanon! Where are we?"

The Doctor replies "It's called an anti-grav transporter. Just sit in it and it takes us straight to the ship in absolutely no time at all."

* * *

The door slides open as The Doctor, Fighter and Leela enter a dark room lit with candles. The Fighter comments "Another shrine."

The Doctor walks over to a stand with relics on it waving "Seems the Tesh are as ignorant of their origins as your people are."

Leela asks looking at him "What are their origins?"

"How does the litany go? That bit about Paradise. Leela, you said you knew it. You said you were taught it as children."

Leela closes her eyes trying to remember it "I do, I do. Wait a minute. The Sevateem were sent forth by God-"

"Slowly, slowly."

She begins saying it slower "The Sevateem were sent forth by God to seek Paradise. The Tesh remained at the place of land."

The Fighter looks to them exclaiming "Yes, exactly. That means the Sevateem explored the planet, while the Tesh remained to work in the ship in the place where it landed. Here." She looks to the Doctor "Which would explain that spaceship we saw."

Leela looks to her in disbelief "We're the same people?"

The Doctor replies "Yes, the Sevateem were the survey teams and the Tesh were the technicians. You're all human beings from this colony ship. "

Leela looks to him in wonder "So what happened?"

The Fighter notices the look on his face, one of horror and worry. She goes over to him and grabs his hand taking it in hers to get him to look into her eyes as she looks up into his "Doctor, what happened?"

He looks at her face blankly "I'm rather afraid I did. I misunderstood what Xoanon was." The Fighter begins to realize what he means as her face becomes shocked.

Leela asks "Xoanon? You mean-"

"At the time, I didn't think he was a being at all." The Doctor still holding onto The Fighter's hand moved over to look at Terminals as she followed him. He didn't want to let go of her hand, afraid he would be lost without her right now by his side.

The Fighter looked at the Terminals "These terminals are dead."

Unknown to them, Three figures enter, unseen, and one starts bowing to the Doctor and Fighter's backs.

Leela asks "What did you think he was?"

Suddenly, The lights come on. The three men wear mostly green full body clothing with padded shoulder detail, and a cap as the one who was bowing to The Doctor and Fighter's backs says "Welcome, Lord and Lady."

The Fighter and Doctor quickly turn around, letting go of each other's hands like children that got caught doing something bad. The Fighter blushes lightly along with The Doctor as he happily says to the men "Hello!"

The newcomer stares at Leela, who has the crossbow pointed at him. She begins to sink to her knees right in front of them. The Doctor and Fighter look shocked as The Doctor looks to the man "Are you doing that?" She continues to sink. "Will you please stop doing that?" She still continues to sink "I said stop!" The Fighter jumps in front of the guys vision of Leela breaking it as Leela falls to the floor unconscious.

The Fighter falls to the floor where Leela is checking on the girl as the guy looks to The Doctor. The Fighter looks up to the guy "What have you done to her?"

"She is not damaged. My acolytes will attend to her." Two men walk over to where The Fighter and Leela are and pick her up taking her away as The Fighter follows after them but The Doctor grabs her by her shoulder stopping her as he asks the man "But where are they taking her?"

The man looks at them grinning "She will be tended. We recognise her value, Lord and Lady."

The Fighter looks him in the eyes with her own eyes narrowed a bit "No harm is to come to her!"

The man begins to kneel as The Doctor and Fighter look at him curiously. The Doctor asks "Have you dropped something?"

He replies "I do you honour, Lord of Time. We've waited long for your return."

The Doctor begins walking over to him as The Fighter follows with. "Yes, well, I'm very grateful about the honour, but it's really information I need. Please get up. What's your name?"

The man replies still kneeling "I am Jabel, Captain of the people of Tesh."

The Fighter remains standing and watching as The Doctor kneels next to Jabel, who begins to bow even lower. "Ah, Jabel, do your people have a holy purpose?"

"We serve Xoanon and tend the holy places. We guard his tower against the savage. We deny the flesh so that our minds may find communion with Xoanon."

The Fighter exclaims looking down at The Doctor and Jabel "Ah. Well, it has a sort of logic. Outside the barrier, physical courage and strength, inside the barrier, paraphysical achievement and the sort of psi power you used against Leela." She looks to The Doctor shocked as they exchange the same shocked realization "It's an experiment in eugenics."

Jabel smirks looking up at them "Yes, Lord and Lady."

The Doctor voice begins to sound serious as he looks back to Jabel still kneeling "Shall we get up? The floor's very hard." They both begin to stand up. "Didn't anyone ever tell you kneeling stunts the growth? Jabel, do you know where Xoanon is?"

Jabel nods "Yes, Lord."

"Where?"

Jabel begins to move his eyes looking around the room "He is in no one place, Lord. He is all around us, everywhere."

The Doctor looks down to the ground shaking his head of curly brown locks "All right, I didn't think you did."

Jabel responds looking at him "You and he are as one. You will show us the way."

The Doctor abruptly asks "Do you know what a computer is?"

Jabel continues talking on "And in perfect communion with him, we will be free and find Paradise."

The Fighter turns to Jabel and asks looking into his eyes "Do you know what a computer is?"

Jabel looks at them confused "Lord? Lady?"

The Doctor turns and lifts the cloth of part of a console that forms the altar as The Fighter comes over to him. "Now I have to find that thing before it kills us all."

* * *

Leela wakes to find herself fastened to a sloping metal platform. A monitor is counting down through 824.

A womans voice is heard speaking through out the room "Final warning. Final warning. Particle analyser terminal phase countdown. All personnel clear the area." Leela begins to struggle getting unfastened as she looks around frantic.

* * *

The Doctor keeps trying controls on the row of consoles as The Fighter joins in helping him. The Doctor exclaims "This whole control room's been disconnected. It could take me days to find the complex."

Suddenly a wall monitor lights up showing Leela fastened and struggling to break free. The Doctor looks to the Fighter, both oblivious to the screen. "I must be slipping." The Doctor looks to Jabel "Jabel, where's the Holy of Holies?"

"All the place of Land is holy."

The Fighter asks him "But there must be somewhere on the ship?"

Jabel looks to her confused "Ship?"

The Doctor replies nodding "Yes. Somewhere where no one's allowed to go."

"Yes, Lord. The Sacred Chamber."

"Yes. Where is it?"

"It is on level three seven."

"Jabel, thank you. I-" The Doctor is cut off by The Fighter pointing to the screen "Doctor! It's Leela!"

They walk closer to the monitor as The Doctor says "Jabel. Jabel, that's Leela."

"Yes, Lord. Particle analysis. We will reduce the subject to its constituent atoms."

The Fighter's face fills with horror "Particle analysis?" She turns to look at Jabel yelling out "But that will kill her!"

Jabel smiles away "Yes, Lord. She is a savage."

The Doctor's eyes narrow as he shakes his head "What? That's not a good enough reason!"

"The savages have the power to open the barrier. Particle analysis may tell us how they do it. Surely that is why you brought her to us?"

The Doctor begins to raise his voice as he looks to Jabel yelling "The savages don't open the barrier, you lack-brain! Xoanon does. Do you understand that? Xoanon does!"

Jabel looks to him shocked "You Lie!"

The Doctor's voice begins to become deep "Give the order to stop that particle analyser."

"You are not the Lord of Time come again to save us!"

"Will you give that order?"

"You are not the Lord of Time!"

The Doctor looks to The Fighter "Right then, we'll do it ourselves." The Doctor takes a small mirror from his pocket and heads for the door with The Fighter following behind, but Jabel's psychic powers stop them from leaving. "Doctor! Run!" The Fighter calls out as he turns to look at her in shock. She begins to fall to the floor as he begins to feel the power take over as well and falls.

* * *

Now there are three metal platforms lined up with subjects for analysis. The countdown has reached 38. The Doctor and Fighter are unconscious and fastened to the sloping metal platforms as well.

Leela whispers to them "Doctor? Fighter?" Her voice begins to raise more "wake up. Please, wake up! Please!" The countdown has now reached 30.

Leela looks at it frantic as she yells out "Doctor! Fighter!"

The Doctor begins to wake up and looks around to see the countdown has reached 25. He looks to see The Fighter still unconscious. "Fighter! Fighter! Wake up! Come on now, wake up!"

She starts to wake up and looks up to see her hands fastened to the metal platforms. "Doctor!" She calls out.

"I'm here." He responds reliefed to know she was here with him. The Doctor looks up to a black box hanging on the ceiling. "Close your eyes." Leela and The Fighter do as told and close their eyes.

The Doctor angles the mirror in his hand towards the analyser in the ceiling above them. 05, 04 ... 01, 00. A red light pulses down into the middle where the platforms meet, then moves left and pulses down between the Doctor's shackled wrists. He manages to reflect part of it back up where it destroys itself. The shackles release and they get up.

The Fighter quickly gets up and runs over to him hugging him "That was a close one!" Leela walks over to them. The Doctor grins at her while rubbing the mirror on his coat "Be thankful you're living, and trust to your luck, and march to your front like a soldier. Gertrude Stein." The Fighter looks to him confused shrugging it off as him quoting one of those books from Earth he use to do when they were growing up.

The Doctor looks at the mirror as Leela says "I think you've broken it."

"To be strictly accurate, it broke itself. All I did was reflect some of the power back into it. Still, I don't suppose its owners will see it that way. Come on, we'd better go." He begins stand up from sitting on the platform as the girls follow.

* * *

In the control room, Two men enter. They all bow in greeting.

A man called Gentek speaks "They have escaped, Captain."

Jabel responds " They must be found and killed. This must take precedence over all other duties and devotions."

Gentek asks "He is not the Lord of Time, the one who will return."

"He is our enemy, and the enemy of Xoanon. Kill him, his woman and the savage."

Gentek and his companion leave. The doors slide close behind them automatically. Jabel thumps a console, hard.

* * *

A pair of armed Tesh walk round the corner of a white walled corridor, with mirrored walls on the inside, then turn and leave.

The Doctor comments "Looking for something."

Leela asks "Us?"

The Fighter grins "Oh, probably, probably." As they come from out of the corner they were hiding into the corridor looking around the corner where the men left.

Leela whispers asking "Doctor, what is Xoanon?"

"A machine that's become a living creature. An old mission computer with schizophrenia. Not a very pretty thought, is it. Not my fault."

They round the corner to an intersection.

Leela asks whispering "How is it your fault?"

"When I was here before, I programmed Xoanon for the Mordee. Unfortunately I forgot to wipe my personality print from the data core. Or did I really forget? I forget if I forgot."

Leela raises her eyebrows "You're not making yourself very clear, Doctor."

The Fighter gave a chuckle "I know the feeling but you get used to it after being with him for a long time."

The Doctor grins at her and continues talking while he looks back to Leela "It may have been my own egotism. Anyway, now it has a split personality and half of it is mine. Is that clear? "

She shakes her head "No."

"Well, come on, then." They round the corner as a round CCTV camera watches them go.

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela step over the threshold into a room with equipment in it. The Fighter picks up the skirts of her Victorian dress as she comments "I should have known better than to wear this dress whenever I'm with you. An awful lot of running seems to happen, it was hard enough having to run in the robes back home." The Doctor looks at her grinning remembering the times he caused her and The Master back in their childhood to run because they always seemed to get in trouble and dragged her into it, though she really didn't mind.

Leela looks around the room "Where are we?"

The Doctor walks over to the controls as the Fighter follows "An auxiliary communications room." He switches on and one monitor shows the Sevateem retreating through the forest.

They begin looking at the monitor as Leela says " It's the village. The creatures must have got through the boundary."

The Doctor looks closely at the monitor "Looks like it. They're psi-tri projections from the dark side of Xoanon's id with enough kinetic energy to kill. Looks as if your friends are running out of time."

"I'm going back to help them." Leela exclaims as she turns to walk out the door.

"Don't be absurd. What do you think you can do about it? If I can arrange it, they'll be safer inside the barrier."

"Do you mean here, inside the wall? What about the Tesh?" Leela asks shocked.

"I didn't say safe, I said safer."

The Doctor picks up the blue tube microphone and begins speaking into it. "Neeva? Neeva? Neeva, are you there? Come on, wake up!"

Neeva responds "Yes, master."

"Neeva, this is Xoanon."

"What is your will?"

"Tell Caleb to lead the tribe through the mouth of the idol."

"Through the mouth of the idol." Neeva says monotone.

"That is my order. See that it is done."

" Will Caleb believe me?" Neeva asks.

"Say these words to him. I don't believe in ghosts either."

"I don't believe in ghosts either." Neeva repeats.

"Go now, and do my will."

"Yes, Doctor."

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela look at the mic shocked at Neeva saying Doctor. The Doctor then comments "I underestimated that man." He puts the mic down getting up from the chair "Come on, we've got an appointment on level thirty seven." They all begin to walk out the door.

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela peak around the corner to see A single guard patrolling outside a door kindly labelled 37. The Doctor takes his hat from his pocket and hands it to The Fighter while saying silently "Hold that."

The Doctor sneaks round the warren of short corridors to behind the guard, while The Fighter goes forward slightly with Leela following. She hold's the Doctor's hat out where the guard can see it. He moves to investigate. She pulls it out of sight and the Doctor goes past the guard's back, then the man arrives at The Fighter's position. She grabs his weapon arm and throws him onto his back. The landing knocks him out. The Doctor retrieves his hat. Leela picks up the guard's weapon, which is exactly like the one the Doctor made for Tomas. They go to the door.

The Doctor says to the two girls "Keep Watch."

Leela steps forward to him "Can't we come with you?" The Fighter steps forward, her brown eyes looking into his blue ones as they are sending a mental message to each other.

He grabs The Fighter's hand "No, Xoanon's unstable. He might kill me and you. He'd certainly kill you. Anyway, we need someone on guard so stay here."

She tries to fight back "But-"

His voice becomes more serious "Stay, please." They send each other another mental message through each others eyes as she nods. He lets go of her hand and walks through the door.

"Be careful Doctor." Leela and The Fighter say as they stand watch next to each other.

After a couple minutes of silence and no other guards appearing Leela begins to ask a question that has been on her mind. "Are you two-?" She pauses as The Fighter looks at her understanding what she was hinting at.

"A couple?" The Fighter asks blushing a tiny bit.

Leela nods "It's just by the way you two act around each other, I thought-"

The Fighter shakes her head vigorously blushing a bit "Oh no no. I mean we are childhood friends, we grew up together that's all."

"Ah." Leela nods. The Fighter begins asking herself why her hearts are beating so fast but shakes it off saying she must focus on keeping guard.

* * *

The Doctor enters the room carefully. The voices start up. The wall has a green swirling look on it.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The Doctor's eyes narrow "I'm the Doctor"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

He yells "I'm the Doctor!"

The voices fade and the wall panels go dark. A beam of light comes down from the ceiling. A feminine voice asks him "Who are you?"

He looks up "I'm the Doctor."

A man's voice asks "Who are you?"

He yells "I'm the Doctor!"

"Why have you come?"

The Doctor looks around "To correct a mistake I made when I was here before."

"We have made no mistake."

"No mistake." A mans voice says.

"No mistake." A feminine voice says.

The Doctor yells "I made the mistake! When the ship was stranded, the computer broke down. I thought the data core had been damaged, so I renewed it by making a direct link with the compatible centres of my own brain."

"The psychian memory transfer."

The Doctor continues looking around "A variation of it, yes."

"Good. Very good. Go on."

"How did he find the ship?" A mans voice asks.

"Don't interrupt. You'll spoil it." A feminine voice says.

The Doctor raises his voice "This isn't a fairy tale. It actually happened."

Guards are sneaking up on all sides as Leela and The Fighter stand guard outside. Leela exchanges fire with Gentek, then another guard approaches, and she kills him. Leela and The Fighter hide behind a wall. Gentek pins them down away from the door but Leela takes down another who tries to outflank her.

The Doctor continues talking to the voices in the room "For generations, teams of technicians had worked on the computer, trying to extend its power."

"And did they damage the data core?"

The Doctor responds "No. No. Without realising it, they had created life. The computer hadn't failed at all. It had evolved into a living creature, the first of an entirely new species."

"A new species? Oh come now." A mans voice says in monotone.

The Doctor continues explaining "Yes, a new species. When I arrived, it had just been born. It was in shock. I didn't recognise a birth trauma and that was my mistake. And when I connected my own brain to it, it didn't just take compatible information as a machine should have done. It took everything."

"Fascinating. Can I ask a question?"

"Shush. Let him finish." A feminine voice says.

The Doctor continues "When it woke, it had a complete personality. Mine. It thought I was itself. Then it began to develop another separate self, its own self. And that's when it started to go mad."

"And where is it?" A mans voice asks.

"This poor mad." A feminine voice says.

"Mad machine creature."

The Doctor shouts "It's here, Xoanon! I'm talking to it! It's you!"

Outside, Leela and The Fighter are still dodging the guards when the power in the stolen weapon runs out. Inside, the light beam turns off.

Leela turns to the Fighter "Oh no, what do we do now?"

The Fighter looks at the gun biting her lip. "We don't have the tools to fix it so we do the only thing we can do."

Leela looks at her "Which is?"

The Fighter rolls up her sleeves on her dress and her hand forms a fist she holds up in the air while grinning "Fight of course!"

Back in the room, the beam of light fades. The Doctor looks around the dark room "Xoanon? Xoanon?"

"I grow tired. I'm thinking no longer."

The Doctor shouts "No, no, wait, Xoanon. I'm the Doctor. I'm separate, I'm real. You must acknowledge me."

"I will not think you."

"We are Xoanon." A feminine voice says.

"And I am the Doctor."

"No."

The Doctor begins to shout "I'm the Doctor!"

"No." A feminine voice says.

"I'm the Doctor!"

"No." It says again.

The Doctor's face appears on the three screens saying "No! No! No! No!" in his voice as The Doctor falls to the floor.

A new voice appears as it yells asking "WHO AM I!? WHO AM I?"

* * *

The Tesh are closing in on Leela and The Fighter. Leela puts down the now useless weapon and takes out her hunting knife. Just as The Fighter and her go to confront them, the lights flicker and go out, then red emergency lighting comes on. The Tesh retreat. Gentek sinks to the floor, afraid. The Fighter and Leela look at them confused by the way they are behaving. "What's going on?" Leela asks The Fighter.

"I don't know..." The Fighter walks up to Gentek on the floor "What's happening? Tesh, what is it?"

Leela puts her knife to his throat "You answer while you still have a head to answer with."

He looks up scared "The fail-safe."

"What does that mean?" Leela asks him.

The Fighter's face is filled with realization "I think I know what it might mean..."

"The end of the world." Gentek replies with horror.

"Why?" Leela asks.

Gentek starts getting up more like he's trying to run away "It means death and destruction. It happened before the time of Land."

"Hiding there isn't going to help, then. Leela, let him go." Leela looks to the Fighter confused at first but then begins to put her knife away. The Fighter picks up his weapon and goes to the door to the computer room with Leela following by her side. The door begins to open as they walk inside to find The Doctor on the floor, curled up trying to cover his ears.

All the different voices are yelling with The Doctor's face still on the screen "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?"

Leela and The Fighter notice him on the floor as The Fighter runs over to him "Doctor!" She falls to the ground putting his head on her lap "Shhh! Shhh! Doctor I'm here."

He opens his eyes to look up at her relieved to see her there. "Fighter..." He closes his eyes again as the voices in the room get louder and louder.

"Leela!" The Fighter hands the weapon to Leela as she fires the weapon at the screens as the shouting continues. Finally the shouting stops and the images fade. The Fighter begins to pick the Doctor up in her arms as her and Leela walk out into the corridor before the screens light up green again.

The Fighter lays him down on the ground putting his head on her lap again. "He should wake up anytime now." The Fighter begins softly petting his curly brown hair as he begins to wake up. "Doctor, are you all right?"

He looks up at her and asks "Fighter, are you all right?"

A smile of relief covers her face as she nods "Yes."

The Doctor begins to get up leaning against a wall as he looks to Leela "Leela, are you alright?"

She looks at him "Was that Xoanon, that thing that looked like you?"

He begins looking around the area "Yes, part of him. It's just a question, really. Everything beyond that door is Xoanon. You were inside him. The most powerful computer ever built."

"Why was he trying to hurt you?"

"He's insane."

"What will he do now?"

"His first impulse will be to kill me. It'll be more important to him than anything else."

The Fighter asks "Does he hate you that much?"

"Yes, because I contradict what he thinks is real. I'm a threat to his world." The Doctor looks up at the ceiling "Red lighting, and the smell. A sort of smell of a smell."

Leela reaches for the weapon, which is lying against the wall. "Don't touch that!" The Doctor yells knocking her back as he reaches out with his sonic screwdriver and an electrical charge flickers.

"Xoanon must have shorted the electrical power circuits in the wall." The Fighter exclaims looking around.

The Doctor and Leela begin to get up off the ground as Leela says "The lights changed while you were in there."

He says "Yes, a precaution in case I got out. As traps go, a bit haphazard. Why not electrify the floor? I would have expected something more positive." The Fighter notices Gentek getting up off the floor as she sees him going for the Doctor and jumps in front of him "Doctor!" Gentek grabs the Fighter from behind. Leela tries to grab him round the throat but he jabs a sharp elbow into her stomach. Gentek moves the Fighter back to the doorway.

The Doctor tries to reason with him "This isn't necessary. I've got a wonderful idea."

Finally the Fighter frees herself and bends down, grabbing the guard's leg and throwing him onto the floor. "Go help Leela!" The Doctor says as him and Gentek begin to wrestle, with the guard trying to make the Doctor touch the electrified walls, while Leela tries to get her breath back with The Fighter checking her. Finally the Doctor pushes him off, and he goes staggering back against the wall to die a jerking death. The Doctor looks at Gentek saying "Why didn't you listen?"

"Easy, Easy" The Fighter says as she helps Leela stand up. She looks over to the Doctor as Leela says "He acted as though he was possessed."

The Doctor gets up off the floor "Yes. Xoanon's just warming up. Come on. When he gets desperate enough he'll destroy everything to get at us." He walks off with The Fighter staying behind to watch Leela. The lights return to normal, and Leela carefully picks up the weapon as they go follow after the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor and Fighter are searching a rack of small storage drawers while Leela keeps watch at the doorway. The Doctor is talking to the girls "Ah, these could be useful. You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common."

"And that is?" The Fighter asks him. Leela turns slowly and raises the weapon at them.

"They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views, which can be uncomfortable."

The Fighter and Doctor spot Leela's blank face in the mirror. The Fighter says "If you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering." The Doctor and Fighter duck just as Leela fires. She stands still so he takes The Fighter's hand as they quickly hide behind a stanchion. The Doctor puts together some of the pieces he took from the drawers with his sonic screwdriver. Leela moves and points the weapon at them.

The Fighter looks at Leela as her and The Doctor start walking towards her slowly" Leela, that gun is getting heavy." Leela begins to lower the gun. "It's getting heavy." She lowers it even more. "Heavy."

The Doctor takes the gun from Leela "Now then, when I count three, you'll wake up. One, two, three." Leela blinks her eyes as she looks around confused. "Shall we go?"

"Er, yes." Leela replies confused.

"Something the matter?" The Fighter says looking at her.

"I moved away from the door. I don't remember doing that." Leela puts her hand to her head confused.

"Oh, you're just probably tired, that's all." The Doctor steps through the doorway "Can you still remember the way to the main control room?"

Leela nods "Oh, yes."

The Doctor gestures "Come on then. You lead on." Leela and The Fighter run through the door as Leela leads the way.

* * *

The Doctor, Leela and The Fighter make their way through the maze, dodging Tesh guards. The Doctor still has the gun. There is a crackle and they step away from the wall just before the lights go red and it becomes electrified.

"Nice try!" The Fighter exclaims

"Ha! You'll have to be quicker than that, you overblown adding machine." The Doctor exclaims as The Fighter and Doctor exchange grins. The lights return to normal and they continue on.

"He knows where we are." Leela says.

"Sensory links everywhere? That's impossible." The Doctor looks around.

The Fighter joins in looking around "He'd be able to measure every change in temperature, vibration, pressure."

"You did say he was the most powerful computer ever built." Leela comments.

"Yes, and very charming he is too when he wants to be. Marvellous host. I remember once at one of his dinner parties."

Leela exclaims "Doctor, he just tried to kill you! We've got very little time, he knows exactly where we are."

"So? We know exactly where he is. Fair does. You wouldn't want an unfair advantage, would you?"

"Yes"

"I thought you'd say that."

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela arrive back in the control room. The Doctor brings life to another monitor screen and a console as a picture on the screen appears.

Leela and The Fighter both exclaim "Ah, that's pretty." They exchange looks smiling at each other while looking back to the screen. An alarm sounds on another console.

The Doctor looks at the screen "Now we can see, too."

Leela walks around looking at the console "What are they all for?"

"They watch and control various parts of the ship, make sure everything's working properly." The Fighter responds. One screen is counting down through 439.

Leela looks to the console with the flashing red alarm going off "What's this one for?"

"Atomic generators." The Fighter replies.

"Oh. Why is it flashing?"

The Doctor cuts in "Well, I'll explain it all-" He turns around suddenly as her words reach his brain. "Flashing? He's put the atomic generators on overload. He got desperate sooner than I thought."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it means I've got about twenty four and a half minutes to build a reverse memory transfer system and wipe my personality print from its brain."

"And if you can't do it?"

"If I can't do it, the atomic generators will explode, taking Xoanon, us and half the planet with them. Effective, but crude."

Leela looks to The Fighter shocked as she gives a smile and walks over to The Doctor putting hand on his shoulder patting it while he works. "Not to worry, though he may get himself into trouble easily, he always seem to get out it...for a little while." The Doctor grins at her words. She seemed to know him better than anyone else.

* * *

The Doctor is putting the finishing touches to his contraption with a pair of pliers with The Fighter at his side to hand him tools. Xoanon's face (Which looks like The Doctors) appears on the computer room door. Leela puts her hand to her head.

Xoanan's voice whispers "Destroy and be free. Destroy and be free."

Xoanan's voice begins to yell "Destroy and be free! Destroy and be free!"

Leela draws her knife. She silently mouths the words "Destroy and be free. Destroy and be free. Destroy and be free." She raises the knife high and stabs down, but the Fighter pulls The Doctor to the side with her noticing Leela's behavior as Leela plunges the blade into a box of electrical circuits, giving her a shock. The Doctor and Fighter put her on a chair and check her pulse.

"She'll be alright, just knocked unconscious." The Fighter tells him. She had taken a medical class back at the academy so she had some medical training.

Time is running out on the overload countdown. The Doctor and Fighter finds themselves surrounded by Tesh, and Sevateem with knives. The Doctor yells out "Xoanon, you'll destroy yourself as well as us!"

Xoanan's voice yells out repeating "Destroy! Free! Destroy!"

The Fighter looks around ready to get into a position to knock them off their feet as The Tesh and Sevateem are frozen. "Huh...they're frozen!" The Fighter exclaims. The Doctor and her duck out from under their raised weapons. "Doctor quickly!" The Doctor puts on the headset he has made just as the overload status goes to full red. The men turn.

Xoanan screams "No!"

The men make a grab for the Doctor, but The Fighter stops them. The Doctor plugs himself into the computer and the men fall back. The image of Xoanon recedes into the distance with a scream. The atomic generator overload reverses itself and everyone wakes from their possession.

The Doctor is falling backwards off the chair as The Fighter grabs him laying him down with his head on her lap. She wipes his hair away from his face as he remains unconscious. "You did good Doctor, you did good." The men look around confused as they spot them.

"What's going on?" Leela asks.

"The Doctor, he saved you. He saved us all." The Fighter replies petting the Doctor's hair gently as he remains unconscious. "He'll be fine, he just needs to rest."

* * *

The Doctor is still unconscious laying on The Fighter's lap as Leela is about to take a bite from a piece of chocolate then changes her mind. Leela looks to The Fighter "Do you think-?" She pauses as The Fighter gets what she's trying to say.

"It's worth a try." The Fighter says as Leela waves the chocolate under his nose and puts it on the floor beside him. The Doctor begins to wake. Everyone else has gone. The Fighter looks down at him still petting his hair softly as he looks up at her "Hey my crazy scarf man!" She exclaims smiling as her voice has a hint of worry in it.

"Hello." He responds looking up at her blushing a little, shocked by her action.

Leela kneels down looking at The Doctor while eating a piece of chocolate "I was beginning to think you'd never come round."

"Ow. I wish I hadn't." He replies with hurt in his tone.

The Fighter continues petting his hair softly to help make him as comfortable as she can. "I thought it safer not to move you."

"Yes. How long have I been out?" He asks looking up at her not taking his eyes off her.

Leela and The Fighter both say "Two days."

The Doctor closes his eyes again relaxed by The Fighter's petting his hair "Two days." He mutters but then jumps sitting up quickly as his eyes widen "Two days? I haven't got time to be lying around here for two days!"

Leela replies eating her chocolate "You should have thought of that before. What happened?"

He yells at her "Don't you listen?"

"She doesn't remember a thing." The Fighter says looking at him while sitting on the floor next to him. Leela gets up grabbing a box of food.

"No, I don't suppose you do. I removed, I hope I removed half of Xoanon's dual personality. How is he?"

Leela replies "Silent."

The Doctor slowly turns his eyes to look over at Leela "What?"

The Fighter replies "There hasn't been a murmur from him since I found you unconscious."

Leela adds in "And Jabel's people don't dare go near the Sacred Heart. Well, that's what they call it."

The Doctor asks her "And what do you call it?"

"The main computer complex."

"That's better." The Doctor begins to stand up and offers The Fighter his hand as she stands up.

The Fighter replies as her and The Doctor walk over to Leela "I've told them all I can, but they won't listen to me. They say I'm ignorant."

Leela comments in "We have a guarded truce at the moment."

As Leela goes to put a chocolate in her mouth, The Doctor grabs it from her saying "Give me a chocolate." He puts it in his mouth. "I think I'll go and see Xoanon."

The Fighter asks him "Can Leela and I come inside with you this time?"

He stops in his tracks looking back to her as he nods "Perhaps. Perhaps." She gives him a grin as she turns to Leela motioning for her to come as the follow him.

* * *

A disruptor gun is still lying where Neeva dropped it. The Doctor, Leela and Fighter walk around the corner as the Doctor exclaims "Ah, so that's why Xoanon lost his hold on Tomas and the rest. I wonder who it was?"

Leela replies "They say Neeva was trying to kill him, and now he can't be found."

"Well, if he was psychotic he'd be impossible to control. Perhaps Xoanon will tell us." The Doctor walks to the door. "Anyone at home?

The door opens. The voice that answers is a man's voice that sounds friendly unlike before. "Doctor. I've been waiting for you. Yes, come in please." They all walk in as the door closes behind them. The lighting is golden and the walls are blank. They talk to the golden light globe.

The Doctor asks it "How do you feel?"

"I am whole. And you?"

"Oh, I'm fine now, thanks to The Fighter and Leela for watching me. Can't complain." The Fighter gives a tiny blush as Leela notices it smiling at her.

"Good, good. I'm glad."

Leela asks the globe Xoanan "Why did you do all that?"

"Could you be more specific?"

"Keep us ignorant and afraid. Make us hate one another."

"I created a world in my own image. I made your people act out my torment. I made my madness reality." Xoanan replies.

The Doctor asks in "But you told yourself you were breeding a race of superhumans."

"Independence, strength, boldness and courage in one tribe. Self-denial, control, telepathy in the other."

"Hostility and conflict to speed up the process until you were ready to select the best of both."

Leela scowl's "It's horrible."

The Doctor looks to Leela "Yes, it is horrible." He asks Xoanan "Isn't it horrible?"

"But it's over now. We are all free, thanks to you, Doctor."

"Oh, well, it was the least I could do in the circumstances. After all, I did start the trouble in the first place."

"Yours was a mistake anyone could have made."

"I don't think anyone could have made it."

Xoanan laughs "Sit down, please."

A settee appears, with a wind-up gramophone on a stand beside it. They sit with The Fighter sitting in the middle of them as Leela sits cross-legged. The Doctor takes a jelly baby from a silver cigarette case as The Fighter takes one as well.

The Fighter comments "Well now, isn't this nice. Thank you Xoanan!"

Xoanan replies "Your welcome." Xoanan then asks the Doctor "Tell me, Doctor. Where do you think I started to go wrong?"

The Doctor stops chewing his jelly baby as he looks to The Fighter who shrugs and Leela who shakes her head. This was going to take a while...

* * *

The Doctor, Fighter and Leela walk down the hall hearing the voices of Caleb, Tomas and Jabel yelling. They all walk into the room as The Fighter exclaims walking into the middle of them smiling "Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen."

The Doctor walks up to join her grinning "Democracy at work, I see."

Tomas asks "What did he say, Doctor?"

"He said he's extremely sorry about all the trouble that he's caused, that he has great power and knowledge and he puts it all at your disposal."

Jabel asks "Should we trust him?"

"He offers you this" The Doctor takes out a large round red button "as a token of his good faith."

"Press it, and he'll cease to exist." The Fighter tells them.

Neither Jabel nor Tomas will take it.

Caleb asks "Another of your miracles?"

The Doctor moves the button to Caleb "Well, there's one way to find out." Caleb backs away from the button too. "No?" He moves the button to Gentek "Little Gentek?" He backs away as well. "Good." The button vanishes.

The Fighter takes the Doctor's hand telling the others "You've got to trust someone sometime."

Gentek shakes his head "But we must still choose a leader."

The Doctor nods "Ah. But that's not our problem."

Caleb steps forward to Gentek "There is no choice to be made. I am the leader of the Sevateem." The Doctor quickly grabs the Fighter with him as they back out of the room.

Jabel speaks up "My people would never accept the leadership of a mindless savage."

Caleb's voice raises "That's an insult!"

Leela cuts in looking Jabel in the face "I am a mindless savage, Jabel, and I have talked with Xoanon."

Tomas comments "And that makes Leela the obvious candidate."

Leela looks at him shocked "Me? But I don't want to be leader. I'm far too unreasonable" She turns to look to The Doctor and Fighter but they aren't there. "aren't I, Doctor? Fighter?" She begins running out the door after them.

* * *

The Doctor is whistling the tune "Daddy wouldn't buy me a Bow Wow" as him and The Fighter are walking in the forest back to the TARDIS. The Doctor suddenly stops whistling and asks her something that has been on his mind since he woke "Were you there with me the whole time well I rested on your lap Fighter?"

She is shocked by this but nods "The two days? Yes. I didn't move from that spot. Leela stayed along as well but she can't sit in one place for long. We chatted for a little."

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Time Lords didn't need much sleep but she most have gotten tired from being in that one spot for two days with his head resting on her lap. "Oh...is that so? You didn't have to..."

The Fighter blushed a little "Well it's best I can do for you right now. You saved my life as well. You took me in when you didn't have to, you could have just left me there and-"

He cut in "I would never do that to you! If I knew he was treating you that way I wouldn't have left. When I came to your door asking if you wanted to run away with me I should have just grabbed you and gone." He clenched his teeth as his voice filled with anger more. "I- I"

She smiled and walked up close to him blushing. She grabbed his colorful multicolored scarf and wrapped the endings around her as it made them look like they were connected now. Her hearts were racing like crazy as she felt a warm feeling come over her and butterflies fly around in her stomach. Why was she feeling this way? She hadn't felt this way around him before.

She began to lean in towards his face and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. It seemed to calm him down as he relaxed but when she pulled back, he looked at her shocked with a blush of his own. "Though you may not think it, You're my hero. Thank you Theta. I can feel my old self starting to come back thanks to you. I don't feel so afraid anymore like he made me feel."

She begin to think of how she fought back which was something she hadn't done in a long time thanks to her husband. Fear filled her body and her will to fight disappered with him but being around her childhood friend again, her will to fight, "The Tiger" as The Master would call her, was beginning to come back.

The Doctor was about to put his hand on her cheek to gently stroke it as she pulled away before he could walking to the TARDIS. He realized and pulled the TARDIS key from his pocket unlocking the TARDIS as they both suddenly heard Leela call out. "Doctor! Fighter!"

They turn around quickly to see Leela. The Doctor asks "Leela. What are you doing here?"

Leela is carrying a gun "I thought you might need an escort. The creatures are still out here."

"You don't need that, Leela. The phantoms were merely projections of Xoanon's disturbed subconscious. He's better now."

"I suppose you're always right about everything."

"Invariably. Invariably. Goodbye."

Leela suddenly calls out "Take me with you."

The Fighter and Doctor exchange looks. The Fighter gives him a smile as he asks Leela "Why?"

"What? Well. You like me, don't you?"

The Fighter nods as the Doctor responds "Well, yes, I suppose I do like you. But then, I like lots of people but I can't go carting them around the universe with me. Goodbye." The Doctor turns to walk into the TARDIS as The Fighter stays standing there with her hands on her hips shaking her head. The Fighter gets an idea and grabs Leela's arm as they both run past the Doctor into the TARDIS like two girl best friends who see something they like and want to get a better look.

He looks shocked at first but then his voice becomes serious "Come out of there. Out." He starts chasing after them into the TARDIS.

The Fighter begins giggling with Leela as they hold hands. The Fighter stands by the console putting her hand over a button to dematerialise the TARDIS. The Doctor looks at her shaking his head "Don't touch that!" She sticks out her tongue at him like she always did when they were young and she was teasing him and The Master.

"Don't touch what?" She says sarcastically teasing him as she smiles knowing what it will do. "You mean this button?" She presses it as the TARDIS begins to dematerialise. He would be mad at her for now but would quickly get over as he always did. After all, that's what childhood friends do.

* * *

Yay! This is the end of "The Face of Evil" Episode. Leela is the new companion to join with the Doctor and Fighter. Leela is one of my fave companions but nobody can beat Romana in my opinion. Speaking of Romana, I can't wait to write "**The Ribos Operation"** chapter for that. The Fighter and her sister being Romana will reunite after a long time and you will get to learn more about their relationship and what happened. Woo! So excited. **We have about 8 episodes to go before that happens.**

How about those cute little scenes with The Doctor and Fighter? Are you guys catching onto them already?

Thanks for reading (**If anyone is reading this at all)** It makes my life and I enjoy doing it. A special thanks to** MyWaywardDaughter **for favoriting this story.

**See you all in the next chapter** following the episode "**The Robots of Death". **


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